Altered Fate
by KorKor11
Summary: What if Yang was part faunus? How would her relationship with Blake be affected? How would her time at Beacon be different? Being part lion should be thrilling but Yang's found it to be more of a burden than a blessing.
1. Chapter 1

Uncle Qrow had told her she was different, _"A good type of different."_ He had said. Of course she hadn't acknowledged this until she grew older, not comprehending why Ruby didn't have claws like she did or sharp fangs. She hadn't even known what a faunus was until she was around the age of nine and she saw a boy with a dog's tail. How could she had known any sooner with her father's depression and isolation caused by Summer's death?

She grimaced at the thought, she understood his grief, she had felt it too. However, instead of being coddled like a young child should she was overlooked and forced to take care of Ruby. And on top of all this she still didn't know where the hell her mother was or why she left.

Her mother, Raven, was a faunus. She didn't know what kind of fanus, she assumed a cat of some sort if she herself turned out to be part lion.

Yang Xiao Long was only half faunus, an unusual and rare breed, the faunus typically didn't accept her and the humans were always wary. However most were kind if they could even tell she was different. She was utterly convinced that, had it not been for her looks, she would be resented by humans as well.

Her childhood friend, Pyrrha Nikos, had never treated her any different despite her status and neither had Ruby. Both were accepting and at times somewhat envious of Yang's special gifts.

Her faunus attributes were nearly nonexistent, her long golden hair was to represent a lion's mane, or at least that's what Qrow told her. She bore wicked sharp canines that could rip out one's jugular with no trouble whatsoever (not that she's tried it...yet), and she had retractable claws that turned out to be useful for climbing trees. And of course, she had a keen sense of smell, good hearing, and night vision like any other faunus.

However, she didn't smell like a faunus, they all had a distinct smell that made them noticeable to other faunus, their scent was typically woodsy or whatever environment their animal counterparts came from. Yang's scent was weak, nearly nonexistent, and this was another way she was able to blend in with the humans.

Even with said attributes it still wasn't extremely noticeable that she was part faunus. Not that she minded, while she was rather proud of her heritage she didn't care much for what others thought of her.

She nearly jolted when a warm body cuddled closer against her, waking her from her musings, a small smile formed on her lips as she looked down at her baby sister. The smaller girl was sleeping soundly, her head resting on Yang's shoulder, and her breathing was slow and even.

Yang heard the comforting thump of the girl's heart and let out a soft sigh. Since she discovered her mother's abandonment and after Summer's death, Yang had gotten in the habit of listening to her father's and Ruby's heartbeat every night before bed...just to make sure they didn't leave her too.

It was her biggest fear really, that in the end everyone would leave her, and she knew it was silly but it couldn't be helped. That's why she was so happy that Ruby was going to school with her. As a kid, after Summer's death, her father had become extremely estranged with Ruby and Yang. He remained isolated and rarely talked to them as he tried to cope with the death of his wife. While Yang had been sad as well, there was no one to take care of Ruby, so she had to pick up the responsibility.

At the age of nine she had to grow up. She had to help Ruby get ready for school, help her with homework, do laundry, put together some unfit meal for the two of them, tuck her in at night, and even read her bedtime stories. Yang was extremely close to her sister and very protective. Some would say overprotective, but Yang just loved her sister deeply, the girl was very family oriented.

Yang yawned and as she looked around at the future Beacon students, she couldn't help but wish that Pyrrha was here as well. She was coming on the second ship much to Ruby and Yang's disappointment, meaning they'd have to wait longer to see their friend. The two had only gotten to see Pyrrha over the summer when Pyrrha's parent's would take her to Patch. Whilst Patch was small, it had a beach, making it a decent vacation sight.

Pyrrha had met the two when Yang was ten and Ruby was eight, they were on beach when the redhead had introduced herself to them. They had been friends ever since, of course, there was more to the story than that but Yang didn't want to dwell on how much she yearned for Pyrrha to be with them. She had to make a lasting impression on these Beacon kids and she was going to make sure Ruby did the same.

Lilac colored eyes widened as she saw Beacon begin to appear,"Ruby, wake up, we're here." She shook her sister gently and Ruby muttered before blearily opening her eyes. The short haired girl yawned and stretched before slumping into her seat and blinking dazedly. Yang looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to fully wake up.

When Ruby finally comprehended what was going on she gulped audibly,"Already!" Ruby leaped to her feet and stood stiff as a board. Nervousness filled the grey eyed girl and Yang chuckled before standing up and stretching.

"Yep!" She answered bubbly,"Aren't you excited!" She enthused before ruffling Ruby's hair affectionately,"My baby sis is going to kick some major monster butt with me! This'll be great!" She cheered and Ruby batted her hand away with a playful scowl.

"Knock it off, Yang, this is serious!" She huffed in annoyance while Yang laughed again,"I-I'm at Beacon now! I should be at Signal...what if I'm not ready? What if no one takes me seriously because I'm younger? What if they don't have cookies! Signal always had cookies, I bet Beacon doesn't-" The girl stressed as self doubt began to consume her.

Yang grinned, she utterly adored Ruby, she'd do anything for her because Ruby was her best friend. Ruby was family, and she was always there for Yang and vice versa. Ruby was the entire reason that the blonde was able to remain so strong.

Slinging an arm around Ruby's shoulders Yang let out a loud snort,"If you weren't ready for Beacon then you wouldn't be here. And don't worry about what the other kids think, you just show 'em what a Rose can do. Not to mention you've got Pyrrha and I to help you out." Yang encouraged with a grin on her lips. Ruby seemed to calm slightly and let out a deep breath.

"You're right."

"I always am." Her right ear twitched when she heard two boys utter her name,"Already people are talking about my Yangin hot bod." She smirked and Ruby groaned and shoved her sister in annoyance.

"Shut up, you're not funny, how many times do I have to tell you-"

"I'll stop making jokes and puns when you stop eating cookies." Yang interjected and Ruby glared at her before huffing and crossing her arms over her chest.

"...well you're still dumb." The fifteen year old grumbled and Yang rolled her eyes playfully. She turned her gaze to Beacon as the ship finally landed, a blonde boy rushed past her to get off, his face a bright green. Yang wrinkled her nose at the smell of his vomit as he spewed his lunch all over the pavement.

Ruby noticed her disgust and reached over before delicately pinching her sister's nose as to block out the smell,"Thanks sis."

Of course as they began their walk to Beacon's front doors it was only a matter of time before something went askew. Yang hadn't been paying Ruby much attention as she scanned the student body suspiciously. All of a sudden Ruby exploded. Yang jolted at the sharp noise and whirled around to see dust flying everywhere and Ruby on the ground, blinking rapidly.

The smell of smoke and flames from the dust was enough to make Yang gag and her eyes water. Rubbing her eyes she instantly turned to Ruby in concern and helped her to her feet. The girl was covered from head to toe in soot and Yang had to bite back a laugh as Ruby coughed.

"Wow Rubes, you're really smokin hot now." She teased and Ruby actually laughed sheepishly.

"What can I say, I learned from the best." Yang grinned as she began to brush the soot off of Ruby dotingly. Not even minding the white haired girl who was glaring at the two menacingly.

The girl she had been talking to began yelling at her,"You dolt! You could have gotten us killed! Do you have any idea who I am!" She screeched, piercing blue eyes glowered at Ruby, the white haired girl was fuming and Yang bristled angrily.

Before she could say anything someone else spoke up,"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." They all turned to see a dark haired girl with a black bow upon her head walking towards them. Her eyes downcast on her book, barely bothering to give the trio the light of day. She spoke in a dull tone, as if bored by the conversation already, her eyes could barely tear themselves off the page to look at them.

Yang's eyes widened slightly at the amber eyes that flickered towards her. This mysterious girl was pretty, Yang concluded, she squinted at the girl's bow and held back a snort. She was obviously a faunus, Yang could smell her woodsy scent, but she wondered why the raven haired girl tried to hide it. Maybe she feared discrimination from humans? Yang mused as she looked at the pale skinned girl.

She wore a black buttoned vest with coattails, and a white sleeveless undershirt that exposed part of her stomach. White shorts hugged her thin waist and black cloth was wrapped around her neck. She had black ribbons on both of her arms, with a black detached sleeve and silver band on her left arm. The girl had sharp facial features and a narrow face.

Despite her interest in the mystery girl, she was none of Yang's concern at the moment. The blonde turned her heated glare back on Weiss,"I don't care who your daddy is, princess, leave Ruby alone." Yang all but growled and Weiss glared at her menacingly.

However, the mysterious girl continued,"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." Weiss's glare snapped towards the girl and she let out a huff and a stomp of rage before stalking off. Yang smiled slightly to herself as she turned and helped Ruby to her feet.

Ruby was biting her lips as she watched Weiss stalk away,"I'll make it up to you! I promise!" Yang rolled her eyes and turned to the dark haired girl to thank her only to see her walking away, her nose once again in her book. Yang shrugged, unaffected with or without her presence, before turning back to Ruby.

"Well, talk about starting your day off with a bang." She grinned and elbowed Ruby gently in the side. Ruby sighed before shoving her sister forwards.

"Just walk, hopefully we find Pyrrha soon."

* * *

Yang wasn't at all worried as she was launched into the forest, all she had to do was find Ruby or Pyrrha and they'd be good.

She cheered loudly as she as she shot herself through the air with Ember Celica. The brawler allowed herself to free fall with ease, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as a rush of adrenaline overcame her, incoming branches were the key to her descent. Pulling her gauntlets back slightly she unsheathed her claws, her claws snagged onto a limb making her body shoot forward but slow slightly, not hanging on too long she let go.

She curled her body in midair as she launched herself forward once again. With a perfect back flip she landed on her feet with ease.

"NAILED IT!" She hollered as she took off sprinting in the forest. Her hair billowed in the wind, it looked like flames as the sun shown brightly upon the girl, a crooked grin adorned her lips as she sped up and vaulted over various shrubs and tree stumps.

She finally slowed when she got her excitement out and casually sniffed the air. She couldn't smell Ruby's rose scent, nor find any rose petals, she could smell some other students but none of which were Ruby. Sliding her gauntlets forward once again she walked cautiously and quietly.

There was a rustle in a nearby bush and she perked,"Ruby? Pyrrha?" It wasn't until she smelled the sour scent of the ursa did she realize she was wrong. The lumbering beast and it's companion burst from out of the bushes and roared at Yang savagely. The girl only smirked back devilishly.

"Bring it." The black creatures charged and Yang shot herself forward. The first ursa leaped at her and she slid under it with ease before slamming her fist into it's companion's unsuspecting face. It flew backwards with a snarl and Yang felt adrenaline course through her. She loved fighting.

The bezerker launched herself into the air and slammed both her fists down into the ursa. It yelped and collapsed, temporarily, but Yang had to deal with the ursa sprinting towards her. She repeatedly dodged the other monster's claws, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she bounced on her toes and cocked her fist back to deliver a powerful punch that sent the ursa slamming into it's partner.

She was just toying with them at this point, it wasn't that good of a fight but she was rather bored. She missed this carefree feeling, the summer had been a dull one besides Pyrrha's yearly vist, and Yang missed the adrenaline rush. One of the monsters laid limp and Yang gave a toothy grin, allowing her fangs to show. The other ursa jumped to its feet and snarled savagely before it took another swipe at her.

She ducked with ease and laughed triumphantly,"Ha! You couldn't hit the side of a ba-" She froze when a single piece of golden hair floated to the ground in front of her. Her eyes widened, it touched her hair. This beast had messed with her mane, it was her pride and joy, never had there been hair as nicely groomed as Yang Xiao Long's hair!

She trembled with anger and her eyes turned a crimson red,"YOU MONSTER!" She screamed in acrimony as she pulled her fist back only for the beast to stiffen up completely and slump to the ground. She frowned, red eyes still glittering with malice as she looked around the clearing.

The dark haired girl appeared, Blake. The two had met last night and Yang had been convinced the girl was a waste of time. Amber eyes sparked with amusement as she watched Yang turn her gaze back to the dead ursa in anger.

With a resounding thump she cracked the beast's skull open,"Not even in death can you escape me, you piece of shit." She snarled lowly as her eyes reverted back to their lilac color and she looked back at Blake,"I had it handled," a smirk adorned her lips,"but thanks, Kitten." She knew Blake was a faunus, it was so obvious, the bow could only conceal her ears not her scent.

Blake's eyes widened,"What-"

"You just...kind of look like a cat." Yang shrugged lackadaisically, it was obvious Blake didn't want people to know of her faunus heritage so Yang would respect that. After all, Yang was holding off on letting people know that she was half faunus. It wasn't because she was afraid of what others thought, she was just cautious, she wondered if Blake would accept her.

In all honesty Yang wasn't all that fond of the faunus breed, the White Fang in particular, they all scorned her because she was more human than animal rather than a "perfect mix." Humans were more accepting of her, which was incredibly surprising.

Blake frowned,"Don't call me that-" Yang rolled her eyes, Blake was one of _those_ faunus, the sensitive type.

"What ever you say." She snorted before grinning, conscious of keeping her fangs concealed as best she could,"I say we get walking then, huh partner?" Blake nodded stiffly before walking alongside the blonde,"So tell me about yourself." Yang said brightly, feeling somewhat excited to have a cat faunus as a partner. Sure there was the possibility that Blake wouldn't like her, but she had never met a cat faunus before.

Blake looked at her and shrugged,"Not much to tell," She said vaguely as her eyes flickered towards the ground,"I like reading and..." She gave Yang a grimace,"quiet."

Yang laughed before shaking her head,"Oh that's great! Because I like telling jokes and being loud! We're perfect for each other!" She winked teasingly and Blake sighed but a hint of a smile played on her lips.

"I suppose." She hummed before quieting again.

Of course their personalities clashed heavily. Yang was a lion, loud, bold, courageous, prideful, brash, extroverted (seeing as lions lived in groups), and somewhat arrogant. Blake was a cat, quiet, calculating, curious, thoughtful, somewhat cowardly, grumpy, independent, and a loner.

They were nothing alike, but that was okay.

* * *

Blake jolted at the sound of a whistle. Ruby. She rolled her eyes as the dark haired girl attempted to wake Weiss up.

"You could always jump on her, like you did with me." Yang grumbled tiredly before shaking her head, trying to wake up. Blake watched the blonde stumble out of bed. Without hesitation the girl ripped her shirt off making Blake immediately turn away from her with a furious blush decorating her cheeks.

Blake was convinced that she already had her partner, Yang Xiao Long, figured out. The blonde was just another pretty face, Blake knew it was wrong to judge, however she felt that her assumptions were correct. Just from how long it took Yang to manage her hair the faunus believed she had a vanity issue. Hell, the girl couldn't bother to wear a modest shirt to cover her cleavage.

Not to mention Yang came off as a bit of an airhead. She seemed like the stereotypical blonde and Blake was a little annoyed at herself for having partnered up with someone so immature. Yesterday Professor Ozpin had assigned herself, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang as a team. They were known as, Team RWBY. And while Blake didn't mind the accommodations, she found herself increasingly agitated with Yang's loudness. The girl never seemed to run out of energy, she also never listened to her.

Blake supposed she chose Yang as a partner because she could tell there was something...different about Yang. She gave off a strange vibe and Blake was itching to know what it was.

Yang was insufferable. She walked with such arrogance and confidence, chin tilted upwards, head held high, shoulders back, and smirk in place. Purple eyes glittered with determination and defiance, she refused to let anyone talk down to her yet she could care less for what others thought of her. There was an air about her that demanded respect, and oh did she get it, Yang was a looker and had many of the boys at the school entranced and some of the girls as well.

While the girl was carefree and made friends everywhere she went, there was an intimidating aura around her. She wasn't to be trifled with and people seemed to pick up on the bubbly girl's dangerous edge.

"Something on your mind, Kitten?" Blake turned sharply towards a smirking Yang now dressed in her usual brown jacket and low cut, yellow shirt. Lilac colored eyes flickered towards her bow making Blake's heart seize, did she know? How could she have possibly known! Blake swallowed nervously, no, she couldn't have, the girl just liked toying with her is all.

Blake wasn't ashamed to be a faunus, but they weren't typically accepted by humans, and she wasn't quite sure Yang would be the exception.

"Stop calling me that!" Blake growled and Yang blinked before giving an apologetic smile.

"Sorry." Blake knew she wasn't. Yang was clearly unfazed with Blake's glare, offering only another closed lipped smile and a poke on the cheek before flopping down on _Blake's bed._ Not her own. Blake growled under her breath as she grudgingly sat beside her partner. She did what she had trained herself to do for years, block the source of her annoyance out. She turned back to Weiss and Ruby and let out a sigh.

"What on earth is wrong with you!" Weiss snarled as their "fearless leader" grinned with a whistle in her mouth. Yang grinned at her sister's enthusiasm before letting out a yawn. Blake looked at her blonde companion curiously, she and her sister were rather similar personality wise, but they looked nothing alike. She shrugged and swiped her suitcase off the ground.

Blake held up her suitcase,"We still need to unpack." The contents spilled out of bag making her sigh,"And clean." Weiss scowled as Ruby threw her fist in the air. Blake wasn't quite listening as Ruby babbled excitedly, she felt Yang stiffen beside her and frown, a crash came from the room three doors down...but there was no way a human could have heard that.

"Banzai!" Ruby cheered, making the faunus jump, but Blake found herself and Yang echoing the small girl.

It took them about an hour or two to fully unpack and set everything up. They even made bunkbeds much to Weiss's displeasure.

The nice thing about it was all the first years were given a full day to settle in and find classes before school officially started for them the next day. Ruby was listing off the classes they shared, to Blake's agitation, she shared nearly every single one of them with Yang.

Blake doubted the girl took school too seriously. She was a joker, a prankster, she went with the flow and hoped everything would work out in the end. And Blake knew that Yang would take class time just to distract her from learning. She could feel it as Yang shot her an easy going smile.

"So what should we do today team RWBY?" Ruby asked brightly and Yang shrugged.

"Something other than just, lion around!" Yang joked and Ruby groaned while Weiss and Blake frowned. Blake knew Yang made puns about almost everything, but she didn't understand what lions had to do with anything. Perhaps it was an inside joke. Looking on it now, Yang did somewhat resemble a lion. A golden mane, strong shoulders, her scent reeking with confidence, pride radiating off her in waves.

Blake was unsure of what to think of her new team. Yang was annoying but Blake didn't hate her, Ruby was...something else...too cheery in all honesty, and she didn't like Weiss because...well it was pretty obvious as to why. Blake had never met such a spoiled brat before. Not to mention that Weiss was the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. A company that the White Fang had been at war with for years due to their cruel practices and mistreatment of all the faunus.

Weiss and Ruby consistently argued and Blake could feel it grating on Yang's nerves. The blonde always tensed whenever Weiss insulted her sister, her jaw clenched, and Blake observed as her nails dug into her palms in an attempt to hold herself back. Every 'dolt' and 'idiot' comment that left Weiss's mouth put Yang on edge as the girl watched her sister deflate with each insult.

"Lay off, Weiss." She'd say every so often in an attempt to brush it off and bring bright spirits to the team. Blake knew she was close to exploding, she could practically feel the girl's anger.

Yang sat on the bed next to her, occasionally throwing Blake an infuriating smirk before telling a terrible joke. Blake kept her nose in her book, completely uninterested with her teammates petty squabbling and awful puns.

"Maybe we can all go out to eat or something?" Ruby finally suggested making Weiss snort and roll her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll pass, spending more time with you isn't my ideal way to waste the day." The white haired girl growled and Blake felt Yang stiffen beside her. The faunus dared to look up from her book to see Yang on her feet, hands balled into fists, eyes turning a dark crimson.

"You got a fucking problem, Schnee?" Yang snarled and Blake's eyes widened. So the blonde was overprotective of her sister, good to know.

Ruby yelped,"Yang it's okay-"

The blonde shook her head in disgust,"No, it's not okay for her to keep treating you like shit." She turned back to the rage filled Weiss,"My sister has been nothing but nice to you, and you clearly don't deserve it." She spat,"Sorry you're not good enough to be our team leader, but get over yourself princess, _daddy_ can't buy you the position as leader so suck it up." Yang was nose to nose with the blue eyed girl, her hand was cocked back to deliver a blow, she was trembling in rage.

Weiss's eyes flashed with hatred,"Don't _ever_ talk about something you don't understand! Stop acting like you know me!" A brief flash of pain struck blue eyes as she glared murderously at Yang,"I don't need a lecture from some, dimwitted bitch who get's excited by punching things. Ruby isn't a capable leader, she's a child, and you're an oaf with a temper." Weiss hissed and Blake set her book down, interested to see Yang's next move.

Ruby looked hurt by Weiss's words but appeared more concerned about Yang's reaction towards Weiss's insults. She had positioned herself to attempt to pull Yang away from Weiss if necessary. Grey eyes filled with concern for Yang as she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

Blake suspected that Yang would throw a punch, probably beat the girl senseless. Even though Yang was irrational and hot tempered Blake could admit that Weiss had it coming. Blake didn't like the Schnee herself but she was automatically biased seeing as she was an ex White Fang member.

She cringed at the thought of the White Fang, it had taken such a dark turn, it wasn't supposed to be like. Shaking her head she brushed aside her gloomy thoughts and painful memories, _they won't find me here...they can't ruin my fresh start._ She turned her attention back to Yang, studying her new partner curiously.

Yang let out a growl. It rumbled deep in her throat and Blake looked at her in shock, it sounded almost inhuman,"I'll stop judging you when you stop judging Ruby, she didn't choose to become leader, Ozpin picked her and I couldn't have been happier with his choice. Ruby will be an amazing leader, you just wait." She declared, she turned to Ruby,"And Ruby, don't you _ever_ change to make this bitch happy." Her eyes blazed with fury and Blake watched as she stormed out of the room without another words.

Blake, for the most part, was impressed with how Yang handled the situation. She was positive there'd be a fist fight for sure. The faunus noticed that the blonde hadn't even reacted to Weiss insulting her, but obviously hated the heiress's rude words towards her sister. Yang was very loyal to those she loved and if Blake allowed herself to get close enough to her, she was sure that'd come to her advantage. She stared at where Yang had been standing before looking up at her teammates.

They were frozen. Weiss was fuming with rage, blue eyes had darkened considerably, hands were trembling, and her mouth contorted in a furious frown. She was stiff and standing up straight, but it was evident in her eyes that her pride had taken quite a hit from Yang.

"That no good brute." Weiss hissed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Ruby seemed stunned at the events that transpired. Her light grey eyes held a mixture of sadness and anger, Blake assumed the anger was directed at Weiss. Her shoulders were slumped and she turned away from Weiss, as though she even couldn't handle looking at her.

"I...I'm going to go for a walk." She muttered as she trudged off, leaving Blake and Weiss in alone in the room. When she shut the door Blake scowled at Weiss disapprovingly.

"You shouldn't have said that." She mused in a monotone, she didn't much care for Yang's feelings, she didn't know the girl well enough yet. But she did feel bad for Ruby, the girl had been nothing but nice towards the hostile Schnee and Weiss had only yelled at her.

Weiss snorted,"I don't need a lecture from you either. You can't possibly tell me that you think Ruby will be a good leader. She's a kid, she eats cookies every chance she gets, she's too immature!" Weiss snapped and Blake shook her head.

"Ozpin picked her for a reason...have some faith. You should go talk to her, apologize." Blake suggested, though her eyes remained in narrow slits. Weiss seemed conflicted for a moment, her eyes held an unbearable amount of sadness, as though she were trapped in some dark memory before she blinked rapidly. Without another word she left the room. Blake wasn't sure what she was going to do and frankly she didn't care. She just wanted to be left alone.

She basked in the silence of the room. A sigh escaped her lips as she picked up her book again.

* * *

After about an hour Blake went searching for her partner. She didn't know what compelled her to do it. The amber eyed girl checked the gym first and, unsurprisingly, there Yang was. What was surprising, however, was to see the blonde sparring with a long haired redhead. Both had tape wrapped around their fists and were exchanging punches. The new girl was clearly new to the hand to hand combat while Yang was at ease in her element.

Both girls were wearing t-shirts and shorts. The new girl had long red hair and jade colored eyes. She had a gold...crown looking thing in her hair and she was beautiful. Blake turned her attention back on Yang, not bothering with the other girl, she wasn't her partner.

Blake watched from the shadows as she studied Yang's fighting strategy. She was aggressive and quick on her feet. The blonde was a brutal fighter. She didn't take time to analyze opponents, she jumped right into it and threw all her strength into each punch.

A laugh escaped her lips as the redhead stumbled a bit,"Come on Pyrrha! Loosen up!" She encouraged while the girl grinned as well.

"Just you wait until we do sword fighting." Green eyes shimmered with joy as she threw a punch at Yang's face. The blonde haired warrior ducked with ease before slamming a fist into stomach. The wind was knocked out of her making her gasp and stumble backwards. The redhead's hands instinctively guarded her stomach. Yang took this opportunity and threw another fist that struck Pyrrha's unsuspecting chest making her fly backwards and slam into the ground.

The blonde rolled her shoulders and gave a cheeky grin,"I know you can whoop my ass any day of the week with any weapon other than fists." She walked over and helped her to her feet.

Both were panting heavily and sweat dripped down their foreheads. Yang's hair clung to her face, her cowlick was still prominent, but the sweat made her curls a darker color. Her eyes were once again a bright lilac, a look of serenity was on her face from the fight.

She really loves fighting, Blake noted as the blonde's grin brightened considerably. Yang was an adrenaline junkie, that was no surprise, the girl was easily excitable and constantly moving much like Ruby. Well, maybe not as much as Ruby, but both girls seemed to be thrill seekers.

Pyrrha chuckled,"I suppose I can, any tips?"

Yang pointed to her feet,"Stay on your toes, you're too flatfooted, and don't be afraid to get a bit closer to me Pyrrha. Hand to hand combat is all about being close to your enemy." Yang winked shamelessly,"I don't bite." Blake rolled her eyes while Pyrrha blushed and snorted. So Yang was a bit of a flirt, not surprising.

"I'll remember that." Pyrrha clasped a hand on Yang's shoulder,"But thank you for taking the time to teach me. I'm supposed to be seen as the prodigy but I've never taken time to learn in depth hand to hand combat." She smiled and Yang blushed slightly.

Blake tilted her head curiously, it appeared that Yang had a bit of a crush on Pyrrha and vice versa.

Yang gave her a broad grin,"Pyrrha, no one has trained harder than you. You're amazing! And it's no problem! I needed to blow off some steam-"

"I take it you're not getting along with Weiss very well." Pyrrha mused and Yang snorted.

"That's an understatement, it is definitely _not_ Weiss to meet her." She grumbled and Pyrrha laughed lightly at this making Yang brighten instantly. Even Blake couldn't hold back a smile at that one, Yang's puns were terrible but her little pout only added to the humor.

"Just try to keep a cool head about this, it'll all blow over." Pyrrha assured her and Yang sighed before shaking her head.

"Not if she keeps treating Ruby the way she does...I dunno, I guess I just want Ruby to have an easy life-"

"She's a huntress."

"Well...I guess I don't mean easy life," Yang corrected,"I just want her to be someone people like. It's not fair that Weiss is picking on her because she was chosen as leader...Ruby didn't ask for this. And Ruby's the nicest person ever! She doesn't deserve this!" Yang growled as she ran a hand through sweaty curls. Amethyst colored eyes darkened considerably and she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

Blake felt her ears twitch as amber eyes glinted with thoughtfulness. While she wasn't the biggest fan of the brawler, she did find the girl's loyalty and dedication towards her little sister to be admirable. Yang hadn't even been angry when her baby sister was declared team leader, the blonde was nothing but supportive and happy about her sister's position.

Pyrrha cracked a small smile at Yang,"Yang," She murmured softly making the blonde once again meet her eyes,"how long have we known each other?"

"Since we were ten." Yang answered instantly,"Seven years."

"And in the seven years we've known each other, in the seven years I've known Ruby, I know that neither of you are weak. You need to let Ruby fight her own battles. It's okay to step in every now and again but don't baby her. You're a great big sister, I know this, Ruby certainly knows this. Everyone knows this except you." Yang glowered at her feet at Pyrrha's comment and Blake frowned, from how Pyrrha stated this, it sounded as though Yang put too much pressure on herself.

With all the confidence Yang seemed to have, Blake had never taken into account Yang's insecurities. One was whether or not she was a good big sister. Even from the little she's seen of Ruby and Yang's interactions she knew that Yang was a good role model for the girl. Yes she was brash and hotheaded but Yang only cared about Ruby, and setting a good example for her baby sister.

The brawler wore a bitter frown on her face and Pyrrha noticed this instantly. She reached out and gently grabbed Yang's hand making the purple eyed girl look at her, her expression softening instantaneously.

"Don't coddle her, okay? Especially now that she's going to a school with more skilled students." Pyrrha chided gently, causing Yang to relax and nod slowly.

"...You're right."

"Always am." Yang rolled her eyes but smiled regardless. Blake felt uncomfortable, she had just listened in on an extremely intimate conversation. She'd known Yang for only two days now and she learned more about her than she should have.

"Thanks P...I should get back. Talk to you tomorrow?" Yang said hopefully although Blake knew that the blonde knew the answer. Pyrrha engulfed her in a hug. Yang didn't hesitate to throw her arms around Pyrrha's shoulders and bury her nose in the crook of her neck. It was obvious to Blake that the two were best friends, best friends who were completely into each other, but best friends nonetheless.

"Of course. It's great to see you again."

Blake waited until Pyrrha had left to finally reveal herself. Yang had her back to her, and while Blake thought she was being stealthy, the blonde chuckled.

"Enjoy the sparring session, Blake?" Blake's eyes widened as Yang kept her back to her,"I know you were there for the entire talk. I don't blame you for eavesdropping. Gotta make sure I'm not some psychopath." Yang commented lightly as she untaped her knuckles and used her towel to wipe off her sweaty face.

"How'd you know I was here?" Blake mumbled as she walked closer towards the girl. Yang shook her head like a dog would, flinging sweat off her blonde hair and onto the blue mat. Blake wrinkled her nose in disgust before Yang turned around with a small smile. She was practically glowing, her eyes filled with mirth and what appeared to be unattainable energy.

"Believe it or not, Kitten, you're not that stealthy." She shrugged and Blake bristled before balling her hands into fists.

"Would you stop calling me that!" Blake snapped angrily, her pride slightly wounded that she hadn't managed to sneak up on the human. Yang looked at her blankly.

"Why does it bother you so much?" Her eyes once again flickered to Blake's bow making the faunus snarl in anger.

"You wouldn't understand!" Yang wouldn't understand what it was like to be persecuted because she was different. She'd never have to live with being an outcast based on something she couldn't control. Yang was just a pretty human who got whatever she wanted because of her looks.

Blake felt utterly alone at Beacon. Sure she liked being alone but not in this way. She hated not having anyone to be able to confide in, she hated seeing the lack of faunus. And the few faunus that attended Beacon were being treated as outcasts, Blake hated hiding who she was, but she didn't want to be discriminated against like she had been her whole life.

Yang just smiled sadly at her,"Whatever you say, Blake. I know it may surprise you, but I'm not trying to annoy you." She shrugged halfheartedly before grabbing her water bottle,"I know you don't like me, but that's alright, you just don't know me yet." The blonde gulped down her water and wiped away more sweat. Blake tried to hide her surprise of Yang's perceptiveness, she wouldn't have pegged her as someone who paid much attention to detail.

"I..." Blake stopped and tilted her head in confusion,"How could you tell?" Blake had always thought she was good at hiding her emotions, apparently not as good as she thought.

Yang chuckled,"Your jaw clenches whenever I'm loud and I see the little glares you give me." Yang took a step closer to Blake and gave an easy going smile,"I gotta say, you're really Blaking my heart." The tiniest of smiles tugged at Blake's lips as she looked at Yang thoughtfully.

"And you're not bothered by the fact that...I don't really care for you?" Blake questioned softly, almost feeling bad for her apathetic nature towards the blonde.

"Nah, I'm kinda glad actually. You'll be a challenge to win over," Yang winked,"And I love a good fight."

 **Love RWBY, love Bumbleby, so I figured why not? First RWBY fic woot!**


	2. Chapter 2

Yang sighed loudly as Professor Port droned on about how he killed a savage grimm,"And then I saved the fifty orphans with one hand tied behind my back!" He bellowed excitedly, grey, bushy mustache twitching as he spoke. The stout man was pacing and his voice gradually got louder when recalling how he "fought" the monsters.

Yang glanced over at Blake who sat to her right,"Talk about a grimm reality." She grinned and Blake slowly took her eyes off Port and looked at Yang in annoyance.

"Wow...there are no words." Yang had been aggravating Blake all of class. Showing her poorly drawn pictures of Port with "funny captions", tossing paper wads at kids, cracking terrible jokes and puns, tapping her pencil to a random beat, and throwing the occasional paper airplane.

Yang was doing this intentionally, Blake was a cute, angry kitten and Yang was too bored for words. During Port's class she lived for Blake's glares of disapproval or rare smiles that appeared when Yang was actually funny. It became Yang's mission to make Blake smile as much as she could.

The blonde winked,"I'm used to leaving women speechless." Blake rolled her eyes while Yang's smile broadened.

It's been two weeks since team RWBY's creation and everything was going rather well in Yang's opinion. Yang had forced herself to step back from meddling too much in Ruby's problems with Weiss. Yang and Weiss didn't get along very well but Yang was trying to be nicer towards the heiress. Blake still didn't like Yang too much, it was evident, but in all fairness Blake didn't like anyone very much.

Blake Belladonna was a very reserved person. She didn't like talking about herself and she isolated herself constantly. Yang had frequently considered telling Blake that she was part faunus, and that she knew Blake was a cat faunus. She didn't know if that'd bode well with the girl however. Blake was warming up to her and Yang didn't want Blake to pull away from her more than she already did.

Yang was a bit miffed that Blake had been so quick to judge her. But she did want to become her friend. Yang took a moment to examine Blake, the faunus was rather beautiful, bright amber eyes and jet black hair. Blake even had really cute smiles, though seldom, whenever the girl did crack a small smile Yang always felt so accomplished.

"So Blake, I've been wanting to buy a good book lately," Total lie,"know any good book shops?" Yang whispered as she glanced at Port wearily, only to see him still ranting about fighting for the orphans.

Blake raised an unamused eyebrow,"You want to get a book." She stated in disbelief and Yang nodded. Port let out a hearty laugh making both the girls jump before he dismissed the students to lunch.

"Yeah, haven't read one in a while, so I figured why not?" Yang shrugged as she packed her stuff up and adjusted her school uniform.

"When was the last time you've read a book?" Blake hummed in slight disapproval, undoubtably able to catch Yang's bluff.

Yang frowned in thought before smiling sheepishly,"Uh when I was thirteen...Ruby was eleven and she had a nightmare so I read her, Goodnight Moon, it always helped her fall asleep. Then when she turned twelve she said she was too old for me to read her stories and tuck her in anymore." She muttered and looked down at her shoes in slight embarrassment.

Summer had always read Goodnight Moon to her and Ruby. Though Ruby was too young to remember, Yang wasn't. She loved that book, Summer had read it to them every night before she died. But Yang kept up the tradition, reading it to Ruby every night up until the girl reached age twelve. Yang had thought Summer was her real mother until Taiyang told her the truth. Her real mother left. That had made Yang even more determined to be the best caretaker she could be for Ruby.

Yang hadn't given her school studies much effort until she got to Signal. She had Ruby to take care of, that's what she spent all her attention on. The brawler had never read a novel completely and that was something she didn't want Blake to look down on her for.

Blake frowned,"Your guy's parents never did that for her?" Yang tensed and shrugged dismissively. She kept her gaze downcast, thinking of her own mother, Summer, Taiyang...she could never seem to win. Inadvertently she thought of Ruby, the girl hadn't known Summer like Yang did. Summer was the mother that she never had, she accepted Yang and the brawler was forever grateful towards Summer.

"No." She murmured evasively, very uncharacteristic of her usual openness about topics,"But there were a couple of books I've been thinking about getting." Blake, noticing her change in demeanor, allowed the change in subject.

"I know a good bookshop with good prices." Blake said gently making Yang perk up.

"Great! Wanna go after classes?" She offered enthusiastically,"You can show me some of the books you like too!" Yang was genuinely happy to see Blake crack a small smile. She would get her partner to like her yet!

"Sounds...nice." Blake nodded causing Yang to grin, nearly exposing her fangs in the process.

When the two arrived in the cafeteria they sat next to each other and awaited for Ruby and Weiss. Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren appeared and Pyrrha slid into the empty seat next to Yang while the other three sat across from them.

Yang immediately turned her attention on Pyrrha, and the two jumped into an easy conversation. Jaune was conversing with a bubbly Nora who was stuffing her face with pancakes. Ren was silent, occasionally sighing and interjecting Nora's stories or handing her napkins.

"How was class?" Pyrrha asked and Yang rolled her eyes.

"About as entertaining as watching paint dry."

The redhead winced,"That bad?"

Yang smiled slightly,"Well, bugging Blake keeps me pretty entertained." She looked at Blake, and as suspected, the faunus was glowering at her.

"Of course it does." She muttered dryly while Pyrrha laughed.

Yang was still beaming at Blake before she slowly reached out and attempted to take the girl's bacon,"Hey pal, mind if I take this?" The second her fingers touched Blake's food the faunus slapped Yang's hand away. Yang yelped and pouted while Blake scowled at her.

"You have so much bacon on your plate...I'm pretty sure you're unhealthily addicted to meat." Blake retorted causing Yang to glance at her stacks of bacon, sausage, ham, and turkey. Yang loved meat, she blamed it on the lion part of her, there wasn't a meal she ate that didn't have various stacks of various meats piled together.

"Well you're unhealthily addicted to fish!" Yang countered only making Blake glower at her,"Blaaaaaaaaake!" Yang whined,"Please let me have your meat! Your meat looks especially good, I'll let you have my fish for the rest of the week!" The blonde bargained, neither girls noticing the way that their table mates stopped eating and looked at Yang in surprise. Jaune choked on his drink, Ren's face turned a bright red, Pyrrha grimaced, and Nora laughed loudly.

"That's what she said!" She all but exploded in a fit of giggles as Blake looked at her in horror.

"Nora!" Ren groaned as he slapped a hand on his forehead. Yang's eyes widened and she laughed hysterically along with Nora while Blake rolled her eyes. However the raven haired girl did crack the tiniest of smiles. Pyrrha and Jaune grinned at each other, Pyrrha holding back her laugh, while Jaune gave up and laughed along with his other red haired teammate and Yang.

When their laughter died down Ruby and Weiss appeared. Ruby chatting animatedly with the heiress who would nod occasionally or roll her eyes at the girl's ridiculousness. They both held lunch treys, Ruby's lunch consisting of mostly sweets, while Weiss went for a more balanced meal, which was lame in Yang's opinion. Of course, Yang was biased because she loathed Weiss Schnee.

Ruby waved at Yang who returned it before beaming at Pyrrha,"PYRRHA!" She cheered as she jumped in the seat next to her,"I had a dream about you last night! It was so cool!" Ruby enthused causing Yang to smirk.

"Whoa there Rubes! Have you been reading Blake's books again?" This earned her a hard punch in the arm from her partner and a mocking glare from Ruby.

"Well I gotta get my skills from somewhere seeing as your pickup lines only drive people away." She shot back causing Yang's jaw to drop and the rest of the teens to erupt in laughter, Blake included. However they all ceased laughing when Yang shot to her feet and approached Ruby who shrunk away from her,"Just kidding?" She squeaked and Yang looked at her stoically before a wide grin appeared on her lips.

"I'm so proud of you! You're growing up so fast! That was such a good comeback, Uncle Qrow would have been proud!" She squealed and wrapped her arms around a flustered Ruby. Yang ruffled her hair and continued to coo about how clever her baby sister was becoming while Ruby flapped her arms desperately. The younger girl's cheeks aflame with embarrassment as Nora snapped a picture and Pyrrha laughed openly at Ruby's discomfort.

"Yang get off!" Ruby yelped while Weiss wrinkled her nose in disgust at their interaction and turned back to her food. However, Yang kept on embarrassing her, knowing all too well that Ruby was being reduced to a puddle of shame as the blonde continuously boasted about her sister's comeback. And while Yang was proud that her sister had been so witty, this was revenge for using said wit against flesh and blood. Yang went full out mom on Ruby.

"Knock it off!" A yelp from a nearby table made Yang let go. However, the cry wasn't directed at her but at a teenage boy. He had short, brown hair and was rather buff. A sinister smile played on his lips as he tugged cruelly on a faunus's bunny ears.

"Holy shit! These are real!" He sneered,"What a freak!" He yanked harshly on her ears again before letting go and laughing as she scurried away. Cardin Winchester, Yang narrowed her eyes at him, AKA the biggest ass at Beacon. He was discriminant towards the faunus and wasn't ashamed to show it. He and his team went out of their way to harass the faunus students.

The blonde watched the bunny faunus run off and she frowned. Blake was growling about how much she hated Cardin along with their other lunch mates, except for a silent Weiss. Yang distractedly nodded, not realizing that Pyrrha was waiting for a response from her, before jogging after the girl. Her friends called out to her but she ignored them, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets as she reached the halls. Inhaling deeply she could smell the girl's forest scent and followed it.

She came upon the girl sitting in an empty, more secluded hall. Her food sat beside her untouched, her knees hugged close to her chest, and her chin rested on her knees. Her gaze was downcast as Yang slowly approached her and slid down next to her. The girl's ears twitched and she looked at Yang with sad brown eyes.

"What-"

"I'm Yang." Yang interrupted whilst sticking out her hand,"I've seen you around Beacon before but I don't know your name." The faunus looked at Yang's hand suspiciously before hesitantly reaching out and grabbing it.

"Velvet...not to be rude but why are you here?" She asked softly once she released Yang's hand. Pale fingers fidgeted with the button of her school uniform uncomfortably much to Yang's amusement. She always seemed to be meeting shy people lately. Ren, Blake, Jaune (when he wasn't hitting on Weiss or being a moron), and now Velvet.

"Well, I heard what Cardin said," Yang shrugged and Velvet stiffened,"and I think that's stupid...I really like your ears. Wish I had a pair of my own actually." Yang confessed making Velvet frown in confusion, Yang wasn't just saying this to be nice, she meant it. Yang wished she had a lovely pair of ears atop her head like Blake and Velvet, a more defining faunus trait, she'd be much more excepted by the faunus that's for sure.

Not to mention she thought the ears were adorable...and awesome. Undoubtably the faunus with animal ears could hear far better than the other faunus. Their hearing was unparalleled to all the other faunus, and Yang wished she had more enhanced hearing. It was impossible for Yang to sneak up on Blake, despite the fact that the girl's ears were muffled by the bow, Blake always seemed to know where she was and it was astounding. Sure Yang wasn't the most quiet but her stealth wasn't too bad, again, not as good as Blake's but her hearing was amazing and Yang envied it.

"Why would you want ears like these?" Velvet questioned curiously,"They make me stand out...and people make fun of me." She sighed and Yang grinned, exposing her fangs as she did so making Velvet gasp.

Exposing her strange heritage to Velvet wasn't a huge risk. Yang had nothing to lose if Velvet didn't like her. The girl was desperate and in need of friends so hopefully she'd be accepting of Yang. She wasn't trying to win Velvet over, Velvet wasn't her partner, if things backfired on Yang then the blonde could just walk away and never speak to Velvet again. There were no strings attached to their nonexistent relationship.

"Because," Yang unsheathed her claws as well,"with animal ears you have better hearing than anyone! I can only scratch and bite stuff." Yang pouted before hiding her fangs and sheathing her claws. The girl gauged Velvet's reaction, finding only confusion and curiosity filling hazel colored eyes.

Velvet looked at her in shock,"T-There's no way you can be a faunus. You don't even smell like one! How...?" She trailed off, looking at Yang expectantly for an explanation.

Yang shrugged,"My mom was a faunus, my dad a human, and I'm...in the middle I guess. It's surprising really, faunus don't like me because apparently I'm not animal enough for them. Even the White Fang hate me. They call me the "abomination" because I'm more human than faunus," Yang chuckled before shrugging,"and apparently there's no one like me." Velvet was still looking at her, frozen, and Yang smirked,"I swear I'm not, lion to ya!" She joked making Velvet relax slightly and laugh.

"I-I don't think you're an abomination. I think that's kinda cool." She stammered with a small smile,"Does everyone know about this?" By everyone, Yang knew Velvet meant Cardin. The question was another unspoken question, did humans treat Yang poorly too?

Yang shook her head,"No. Just you, Pyrrha, and Ruby. Humans aren't bad to me, some are, but for the most part we get along fine. Not many people can tell I have any faunus in me at all until I smile too widely. But if Cardin were to find out, he'd target me as well, and I'd be okay with that."

"Really?"

"I'd beat the shit out of him...but other than that I'd be fine with it." Yang joked lightly making Velvet grin,"Anyways...I'm really sorry Cardin is such a jerk...do you have no one to sit with at lunch?" Yang asked and Velvet shook her head.

"My teammates have different lunches."

"Then sit with us." Yang offered with an easy going smile and Velvet's eyes widened.

"The others won't mind that I'm..." She trailed off and Yang laughed at her silly insecurities before shaking her head.

"Of course not! Ruby and Pyrrha know what I am, they still love me, and Blake's a faunus too though she keeps it a secret. Ren is a nice guy...I think and Nora jokes about everything and is really easy going so don't worry about her. Jaune is usually the butt of the joke, and Weiss...well she's mean to everyone." Yang shrugged and Velvet gave a soft smile before nodding slowly.

"O-Okay...thank you Yang. But I do have a question, why tell me your secret?" She queried as she looked at Yang curiously. Dark bangs nearly obscuring soft brown eyes that Yang tried to meet with her own purple ones.

"Well, you needed some cheering up, and seeing the constant bullying you're put through...I knew you'd be more likely to be accepting of me." Yang explained causing Velvet to nod slowly before smiling again.

"That makes sense...and you really like my ears?" She asked quietly, insecurity and hope laced her soft spoken words as she looked at Yang sheepishly.

Yang grinned up at her ears, fangs glinting brightly,"Course I do, they're so cool. Do you like my teeth?" She gave Velvet the largest, goofiest smile she could muster, making the faunus laugh and nod.

"I love your teeth."

* * *

"Tukson's Book Trade...oh fuck me." Yang breathed, she balled her hands into fists and glowered at the book shop angrily. Blake looked at her curiously, a frown marred her face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yang, you said you wanted to go book shopping." Blake huffed, clearly miffed that Yang was already complaining about their trip.

Yang backtracked,"It's not the books!" She said quickly whilst scratching the back of her neck anxiously. Blake shrugged, not bothering to question her strange acting partner as she walked in. Blake smiled brightly at Tukson who beamed back at her.

Warm, dark gold eyes glinted with happiness. His muscular arms uncrossed from his chest as he stood up straighter. His calloused hands scratched at his sharp sideburns while he approached her. His neatly combed, dark hair looked the same as always and the plaid he wore shirt suited him.

Blake and Tukson had once been in the White Fang together. He was her mentor and she adored him. Blake's parents had died when she was a child and she didn't remember them much. Tukson was like the father she never had, taking time to train her and teach her life saving skills. Tukson was part of the reason she had left, he had told her about how much he hated the White Fang's corruption, and it fueled one of the many reasons that she had been so desperate to leave the ever growing morally loose group.

"Well if it isn't Blake Belladonna, it's been far too long, I've missed ya kiddo." He rumbled as he engulfed her in a hug.

"I've missed you as well." She mumbled.

Blake clung to him, burying her face in his shirt as she let out a deep breath. It was nice to be hugged by him again, she had missed him. She felt at ease and comforted by his warmth, she felt like a child again being embraced by Tukson. The large man pulled away before stiffening. Blake frowned and turned to see what he was glaring at.

Yang. The blonde was leaning against a shelf, hands shoved into her pockets, purple eyes darkened considerably as she glowered at Tukson. Blake had only seen such ferocity and hatred in her gaze when Yang and Weiss had first gotten into a fight. The girl looked around the shop before settling her hate filled gaze on him again.

Tukson stepped away from Blake and let out a growl,"You've got some nerve to show your face around here, mutt." Blake looked at him in surprise by his change in behavior.

"Nice to see you too, Tukkie." Yang sneered as she casually strolled forwards and picked up a book,"Figured you'd end up in a place like this. Dull and slow, more of a servant to the people than anything else, waiting on your customer's hand and foot. Not out there fighting in battles you couldn't hope to win." Yang hummed as she dropped the book onto the ground with a loud thump and smirked,"Oops." She said in mock innocence before casually strolling around the shelves of books. The smirk never left her face.

Tukson let out a snarl,"Better than trying to fit into places I don't belong." Yang flipped him off as she kept skimming through books,"Better than wasting my time searching for someone who clearly, left you for a reason." Yang froze, her eyes flashing a crimson color, then just as quickly reverting back to purple.

"You know, you should be thanking me, I got you a better shop."

"Setting my first shop on fire, and ruining everything I own, isn't something I'll ever be grateful for. You put me in financial ruin...I lost everything because of you!" Tukson roared and Yang smiled innocently while Blake gaped. Tukson was seething with anger, his claws unsheathed, and his teeth bared while he glared murderously at the blonde. Blake grimaced, torn between letting this play out and dragging Yang out of the store.

Blake's curiosity won.

Blake watched the altercation with wide eyes and confusion,"You two...know each other? Yang you're the one who set his first shop on fire?" Blake asked in disbelief and Yang shrugged as she pulled two books off the shelf.

"Well, when someone sneaks into my house and attempts to kill my father, I tend to get a little testy." She all but hissed and Tukson laughed bitterly. At this Yang narrowed her eyes and casually tossed one of the books onto the ground. With the other, she strolled over to the door and opened it, her eyes glinting mischievously before she flung it carelessly into the street...leaving it to get run over by various amounts of cars.

"You bitch, I hope you've got money to pay for that." Tukson snapped furiously,"Grow up, your father is alive, you were a child when this happened. You-"

"I should have killed you!" Yang snarled, beneath the hatred Blake could see fear and anxiety etched into the brawler's face,"I have half a mind to do so right now!"

"What's stopping you, mutt?" Tukson jeered and Blake frowned, wondering why he continued to call Yang a mutt. Blake turned to Tukson's quivering form before taking a hesitant step back. He tried to kill Yang's father? Why? It made sense why the blonde was so angry, Blake just didn't understand why Tukson would do such a thing.

Yes it was during his time in the White Fang, and yes Blake had killed people as well, but not because she wanted to. What reason would any of the White Fang leaders give Tukson to kill Yang's father? He wasn't significant or against the faunus as far as Blake knew.

"You're obviously a friend of Blake's, she cares about you, so I'm holding back. I won't kill your sorry ass over something you _failed_ to do." Yang hissed and Tukson regarded Blake with surprise.

"You're friends with that?" His voice was sharp and his eyes narrowed. Disappointment laced his tone as dark eyes looked at her for an explanation. For a moment, Blake was remarkably torn. Tukson had always been a fatherly figure to her, and she hated letting him down.

He taught her everything she knew and she was extremely grateful for that. He had always looked out for her and encouraged her to do better. He helped shape her character, let her read everything he got his hands on, taught her how to fight and protect herself, and always listened when she needed to talk to someone. Tukson was her family, he was all she had left and Blake was in no position to jeopardize that.

However, what he was saying was wrong. She didn't know why he was so blatantly discriminant towards Yang. Calling her mutt and referring to her as something less than human made Blake somewhat angry. Not to mention Tukson had initiated the whole rivalry between the two by trying to kill Yang's father. She didn't know what Yang was, she didn't seem like more than just a human, and maybe that's all she was. Maybe Tukson just wanted to degrade her because Yang committed arson and destroyed his livelihood.

Blake wanted to speak out, tell Tukson that he was rude, and leave with Yang. But she couldn't find the right words. She opened her mouth and immediately closed it again. In all technicalities, she and Yang weren't friends, they were becoming closer...slowly albeit but was that enough for Blake to turn on Tukson?

It was a war of morality vs. loyalty. Her heart was crying out in sympathy towards Yang's plight, for Blake herself had been called such names and worse. Tukson tried to kill Yang's father and the blonde had every right to be mad. Hell, a part of Blake was mad that her typically calm, and loving father figure would do such a thing as well. Not to mention Yang had stopped herself from becoming combative against Tukson just for Blake's sake. The blonde was full of surprises.

However, whilst her heart was screaming at her, her mind was screaming louder. Tukson had been there for her since she was a child. He was family, she loved him dearly, surely she wouldn't risk severing that for some brute who loved nothing more than to make air headed comments and puns?

Tukson had a right to be angry too. When his shop was burnt to the ground he had nothing left, not even a home. It took him two years to scrape up enough money to buy another shop. He did demeaning, odd jobs and lived on the streets while saving every penny he could. Tukson even had to participate in the White Fang again when he could no longer bear the cold, dangerous, and desolate streets.

The White Fang had punished him severely for leaving in the first place, and Blake's stomach lurched at the mere thought of the torture he endured. But Tukson had started this altercation, he had made the first move, orders or not Tukson had unintentionally asked for Yang's retaliation.

The internal war raged on and Blake remained silent. Gold clashed with mauve as the two girls looked at each other. A flash of betrayal crossed Yang's face as she turned away from Blake with her hands balled into fists. Blake opened her mouth again but no words came out. What was wrong with her?

Tukson laughed cruelly as Yang made her way towards the door,"Remember your place next time, _mutt._ "He snarled and Yang froze, trembling in rage, body still facing the door as she let out a deep breath and attempted to calm herself.

"Fuck you." She growled lowly, not daring to turn to face the man.

Tukson smirked viciously,"Funny, that's the last words your mother said before she walked out." Blake's eyes widened and her gaze snapped towards Tukson, all thoughts of family completely exited her mind as she glowered at him. She had never seen this side of him, the once caring and gentle man having been hardened by the world...by the White Fang...just like Adam.

Yang was frozen, her trembling had ceased and she slowly turned around. Her eyes ablaze with hatred and an intense fire that sucked Blake in and made her shiver. Yang was an inferno, waiting to unleash her destruction on Tukson at any second. Her face was twisted into a fierce frown and her weapons were at the ready to punch Tukson's face off.

But, to Blake's horror, he continued,"For never knowing your mother, you're a lot like her." He taunted, dark eyes sparkled with a sadistic nature,"She left behind people she didn't care about all the time too." He blatantly implied that Yang leaving Blake behind was an indication that the blonde didn't care for her...he implied that Yang's own mother didn't care for her.

Blake wished she hadn't been looking at Yang, she wished that she had dragged the blonde out of the store before things had gotten this out of control. Her damned curiosity caused her to ignore her instincts. And now Blake had to face the consequences.

By God did looking at Yang pierce Blake's heart. The brawler's fire died out. Her crimson eyes dissipated, her look of contempt was devoured by one of shock and heartbreak, her jaw clenched as her weapons deactivated.

No longer did a bubbly and fiery girl stand before Blake, but a stranger. This new girl was despondent and silent. Pride was devoured by shame and insecurities. Mirth filled eyes were clouded by an anguish that Blake knew all too well. This girl didn't look happy and excited, but worn and troubled...her mother's abrupt absence had been eating her alive for years and it was now evident in the way that Yang carried herself. This girl wasn't Yang...this girl couldn't possibly be Yang.

Yang was happy and vibrant, she didn't have a care in the world, her life was fun and it was supposed to be perfect. Yang was supposed to be confident and prideful, rather egotistical as well, she was supposed to flip Tukson off before beating the shit out of him for insulting her. She was supposed to laugh triumphantly as she punched him through the wall and make a terrible pun about it. This girl wasn't Yang. Blake couldn't believe it for one second. Yang wasn't supposed to have that type of sadness in her eyes-no...Yang didn't _deserve_ to have that type of sadness in her eyes.

Tukson hit a sore spot and he knew it, Yang's shoulders slumped and her eyes lowered to the ground as she hastily turned away from them. With trembling hands the blonde grabbed the door handle and bolted out of the store, leaving silence in her wake.

Blake felt unquenchable rage overcome her as she turned on Tukson,"What the hell was that!" She snarled and Tukson looked at her in surprise before anger marred his features.

"She-"

"I'm not talking about her! I'm talking about you...who are you?" She asked hotly as she looked at him in disgust. He visibly hardened as he glowered at Blake.

"I'm not in the mood for this, Blake. You want to be friends with that freak then fine, be my guest. Just grab what you want and get out." Tukson growled, more disappointment flowing from his lips, but this time Blake didn't care. He tried to stalk away but she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"No! You don't get to just brush me off! I deserve an explanation for...whatever that was!" Blake cried in desperation, trying to get Tukson to understand why she was so appalled,"The Tukson I know, wouldn't say that to anyone regardless of who or what they were. What's going on? Please talk to me!" Blake begged, and to her utter annoyance she felt hot tears prick her eyes.

She didn't want to lose Tukson like she lost Adam. Tukson was the last person she had left and she loved him. He used to be so calm and friendly, warmth would seep out of every smile he gave and every laugh that escaped him. Why was he acting like this? She understood he was angry, but the sadistic pleasure he took from Yang's emotional torment was unsettling to watch. That wasn't the man she grew up with, this wasn't the man that raised her.

Tukson shook his head in frustration,"My life's gone to shit, Blake, and your little friend only made everything worse. And you...I expected you to be smarter than this." He snorted,"I thought you didn't like crooks and arsonists, but I guess humans will change you." The amount of bitterness that escaped his lips was enough to make Blake cringe and step away from him.

What had happened to Tukson...was more than she knew about if he was this bitter. Tukson never hated humans like this...Tukson had never _talked_ to her like this. He spoke to her as though she were stupid, as though they hadn't spent years in a father daughter relationship. Even the way he looked at her sent chills up her spine, like she was just another stranger duped by the world. None of the affection that he had exhibited to her when she first walked in the store was there anymore. Only disbelief and anger.

He softened slightly at her look of helplessness,"Look, just take some books on the house, and go...okay?" He sighed and turned away from her,"I've got work to do. I'll see you later." Blake watched him walk away in horror, tears finally leaked from her eyes as she reached out to where he once stood.

"Tukson...please..." She whimpered, it was all slipping away too fast. Tukson was everything she had, but he was becoming consumed by hatred and life's cruel treatment towards him. But she needed him...she had always needed him. Tukson stopped briefly causing a flame of hope to erupt in Blake's chest.

"I love you, Blake, but I can't stay and chat. I have work to do." He mumbled before disappearing to his room in the back of the store. Blake stood there numbly, hopelessly alone, and overcome with agony as she watched her fatherly figure leave her.

* * *

With a few books in her bag, Blake composed herself, wiping her tears and making sure the redness in her cheeks vanished. She had to go find Yang...she owed Yang so much. The faunus stepped out of the bookshop with a heavy heart, today was supposed to have been a lighthearted day, but it had been the exact opposite. The sun was setting and Blake was emotionally exhausted, it had been a long day.

She sniffed the air, hoping to catch Yang's scent, the smell of smoke and Yang's shampoo filled her nostrils. She was nearby. Blake followed the girl's scent to find her in a nearby alley. Yang was throwing punch after punch at a brick wall, bareknuckled, and Blake's eyes widened.

"Yang." She spoke softly as she approached the girl, guilt consumed her at having not have defended her partner. Blake felt horrible for having stayed silent. The girl stopped punching, her chest heaving as she turned to Blake. Yang's hair was disheveled and she was sweating profusely, blood oozed from her mangled knuckles and her eyes burned a dull red.

Yang's eyes reverted back to their lavender color as she let out a sigh,"Yeah?" Her eyes hardened as she looked at Blake, her mouth contorted into a frown. Blake deserved every ounce of her anger but she also wanted to explain her hesitance at the time.

"I'm sorry I didn't defend you. Tukson is like a father to me and...I was confused about the whole situation." She mumbled,"I...he usually isn't like that. I don't know why he called you a mutt, or why he tired to kill your father," Yang stiffened,"or why he brought up your mother," Yang's jaw clenched,"but what I do know is...you didn't deserve any of that. I have no excuses for keeping silent," Blake confessed,"I just...I feared him being disappointed with me...I feared severing our relationship. He's the closest thing I have to family...and I didn't want to lose that." Blake took a hesitant step towards Yang who had softened considerably at Blake's apology.

Opening up to Yang like this was a big step for Blake. The faunus wasn't known for trusting easily, but Yang deserved some type of explanation for why Blake stood there and watched her be insulted relentlessly. Not to mention Tukson had thrown one of Yang's largest insecurities out in the open for Blake to hear rather than the blonde tell her herself. No, she and Yang weren't best friends, but they were partners, and Blake needed to start acting like one.

Yang gave her a sad smile and Blake hated how easily Yang forgave. The blonde couldn't hold a grudge to save her life unless the offender had done something to harm her family. Blake wanted to be yelled at, she wanted to be hit, she wanted to be shoved aside and flipped off...because that's what she deserved. Not forgiveness. She let her judgement be clouded by her past and that was her mistake.

"I understand...my mom-"

"You don't have to tell me if you're not ready. We're not that close yet, and I don't want you to feel forced to say anything. We should get home so we can fix your injuries." Blake spoke gently, trying to forgive herself as easily as Yang had. The brawler nodded at her gratefully, and looked down at her knuckles in slight embarrassment.

"I uh...when we get back I'll take care of this. My knuckles have gone through worse...they'll heal fast." She then looked at Blake guiltily,"I'm sorry I ruined our day, it was supposed to be fun." Yang looked down at her busted knuckles in shame and Blake looked at her in disbelief.

"How'd you ruin it?" Blake asked incredulously and Yang winced.

"I only made the situation with Tukson worse-"

"Tukson was the one who went too far," Blake interjected before smiling at Yang,"but hopefully he didn't ruin the day. I got you something." Blake pulled out a book and to her delight, Yang perked instantly, she rushed forward and engulfed Blake in a tight hug. The warmth emanating from Yang made Blake relax in her arms, it was a comforting hug and she appreciated it, it had been a long day. Blake was glad she was able to brighten Yang's spirits even if just by a little.

* * *

By the time the two had gotten back to their room it was around seven. The moon shown brightly in the sky and Yang was beaming like a little kid as she taped her knuckles and changed her clothes. Blake changed as well before settling on her bunk below Yang's.

Weiss and Ruby were in the library studying for a test in Port's class they had tomorrow. Blake leaned against her pillows that were stacked so she could sit upright, she slid over so Yang could sit next to her, the blonde flounced over and dove into the bed...like a child. Blake rolled her eyes but smile nonetheless before opening the book she had gotten Yang.

Blake had decided to push all her pain over her severed bond with Tukson aside and focus completely on Yang. The brawler didn't know that Blake and Tukson fought soon after her departure and she didn't need to. Yang would only blame herself again and it wasn't her fault. Blake just wanted to make Yang feel better.

"Goodnight room, goodnight moon." Blake began as Yang settled in. The brawler nestled into Blake's side making the faunus freeze. Blake slowly relaxed as she felt the girl's warmth seep into her, Yang was like a heater and Blake loved the warmth, it made her a bit sleep but extremely comfortable. Yang grinned at Blake, who didn't know how she got roped into reading, Goodnight Moon.

"Goodnight cow jumping over the moon-"

"Don't you mean the, mooooooo." Yang joked before throwing a thumbs up and smiling widely at Blake. The raven haired girl groaned in annoyance and shook her head.

"I swear I'll stop reading if you don't shut up." She warned and Yang's eyes widened before clamping a hand over her mouth. Blake smiled as amethyst eyes looked at her pleadingly,"Thank you." Yang took her hand away from her mouth and quickly became engrossed in the book.

Blake would occasionally look at the blonde whilst reading. The book was obviously very sentimental for Yang. Her eyes would brighten at some points and she'd smile wistfully to herself, or she'd get teary eyed and lost in thought as the book evoked memories from the girl's younger years. The spark of recollection that each sentence caused Yang made Blake only read slower, just to watch the girl's ever changing emotions. After tonight, Blake just wanted Yang to remember better days, Yang needed it.

"And goodnight to the old lady whispering hush." Yang's head nestled into Blake's shoulder and the crook of her neck making Blake roll her eyes fondly. She could hear Yang's breathing slow and Blake found her own eyelids growing heavy as well.

"Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere." Blake finished before setting the book down. Yang was so contently asleep on her shoulder that Blake didn't have the heart (or the energy) to move her. With a soft sigh she laid her head atop her partner's.

As her eyes drifted shut, she too drifted to a place where Tukson awaited her with outstretched arms and a crooked smile.

And knowing that this wasn't the reality, caused the dream to become a nightmare.


	3. Chapter 3

Yang frowned in her sleep, a soft thumping noise drummed in her ears, a heartbeat. It didn't sound like Ruby's heart, it was much faster and lighter, but still it was soothing. With a sigh Yang curled deeper into the warm body next to her, subconsciously arching herself closer to the source of heat, it wasn't that she was cold. She nearly never got cold. Yang just loved the warmth.

Then she remembered, it was Blake's heartbeat. With a content hum Yang attempted to go back to sleep. _Thump, thump, thump._ Blake's heart was the exact opposite of her owns, Yang's heart was remarkably slow and loud. Slower than a human's. Her lion genetics was to thank for that much like Blake's cat genetics were to thank for her heart. She heard Blake sigh softly in her sleep before her arms tightened around Yang's shoulders.

Yang almost would have been embarrassed if she wasn't such a cuddler. She cuddled with Pyrrha and Ruby all the time...but being with Blake was different. Her partner still wasn't the biggest fan of her, and Yang was okay with that, but last night had been rather intimate for the both of them.

Blake had felt so bad about the situation with Tukson that she had read her Goodnight Moon. In all honesty, that meant the world to Yang. Each sentence from the book made Yang feel like she reliving her short childhood. Every sentence dug up hidden memories of Summer Rose, the woman who treated Yang like a daughter despite her belonging to someone else, the woman who tucked her in and played with her as though Yang wasn't a bastard child.

Yang could still picture Summer's smile. She could still see the woman's grey eyes looking at her with nothing but love and adoration. She could still hear her gentle voice reading to her, could still feel her tinkling laughter whenever Yang said a terrible joke or did something adorably stupid.

And Yang could still feel the last kiss upon her forehead from Summer, before she walked out of the house, and out of their lives. Silver eyes had haunted her dreams ever since.

Yang felt tears prick her closed eyes and fought them back. She swallowed thickly and pushed her motherly figure from her mind. Ears trained on Blake's heartbeat. She wanted to ignore the painful memories of the woman who loved her. The woman who loved Yang even when her own mother never could.

Subconsciously Yang pulled Blake closer to her, listening desperately for that heartbeat so as to rid Summer Rose from her mind. Letting out a calming breath, the brawler finally relaxed as Blake nuzzled her nose into her hair.

Yang became content until she heard voices,"Whoa...I guess Blake and Yang are getting along after all." Ruby's voice sounded as she rolled out of bed.

Apparently Weiss and Ruby hadn't noticed two cuddled up the previous night. Meaning they had gotten back late and just flopped in their beds in exhaustion.

There was a snort,"I suppose it's almost cute...disgusting...but not terrible." Weiss's voice nearly prompted a smile on Yang's lips but she held back, burying her nose deeper into the crook of Blake's neck. Yang just wanted to go back to sleep.

"I think it's adorable! What if they started dating, that'd be so adorable!" Ruby squealed quietly causing Weiss to snort. Yang blushed at her sister's comment, her and Blake? Dating? Yang could barely get the faunus to smile at her much less date her.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Yang is totally interested in Pyrrha...and Pyrrha is just as interested in Yang." At this time Yang was burning with embarrassment.

Was it really that obvious that she liked Pyrrha? The redhead was beautiful, witty, funny, compassionate, a good fighter...overall amazing! Yang loved so many things about Pyrrha, she was her best friend, from the moment Yang had met the girl she had liked her a lot. And as they grew, so did Yang's feelings, Yang utterly adored Pyrrha but the blonde knew that the warrior would never feel the same way.

Yang was bisexual and Pyrrha was straight...apparently. And last time Yang checked...she didn't have a dick, so that ruled her out of Pyrrha's suitors who actually stood a chance. Even though Yang was positive that she was way hotter than all the boys that chased after Pyrrha. Yang had dated some people here and there, but none of them were as good as her redheaded friend.

Focusing on Blake's heartbeat once again, Yang purged Pyrrha out of her mind. _Thump, thump, thump._ Yang calmed once again...unfortunately she felt Blake tense. She fought back a smile, the little kitten had woken up. Surprisingly Blake didn't move, Yang heard a small yawn and Blake shifted slightly but she made no attempt to get up.

With the position the two of them were in, Yang was surprised Blake didn't move. Yang was laying on Blake's chest with her head tucked into her neck and her arms wrapped around her waist. Blake had her arms around Yang's shoulders and her face had been buried in Yang's blonde hair. It was an extremely intimate position.

"Soooo...enjoy sleeping with my sister?" Ruby teased, there was a loud thump and Ruby yelped.

"Don't be lewd." Weiss scolded,"The last thing we need is another Yang, I can barely handle one." She sniffed and Blake cleared her throat awkwardly, Yang could imagine her blushing and trying to avoid looking at anyone due to her embarrassment.

"S-she had a rough day. And she fell asleep in my bed. And the only reason I'm not moving is because she deserves some sleep." Blake stammered meekly and Yang smiled slightly. Guess Blake didn't completely dislike her anymore. Yang was grateful that Blake had taken her feelings into account at all, which really surprised the brawler, Yang figured Blake would have dumped her on the floor by now.

"Is she alright? What happened?" Ruby asked worriedly and Yang almost smiled. Though she didn't want Ruby to worry about her, it was nice to know she cared. Yang was supposed to be the strong one, it was her job to lift Ruby up when she was down or give her advice when things went askew. Yang also wanted to set a good example for her baby sister, Ruby meant the world to her, she had been taking care of her since she was a child. Yang would do everything in her power to make sure Ruby was happy.

Blake spoke,"She's fine...now. We just went into a bookshop and we ran into a man who has a grudge against your sister. Said some pretty...offensive things." Blake mumbled and Yang heard Ruby take a step closer.

"Who was he?" Anger seeped into her voice and Yang felt Blake tense once again. Yang chose this time to intervene. With a loud yawn and exaggerated stretch, Yang's eyes fluttered open to see a blushing Blake.

"Morning Kitten, not that I'm complaining about us sleeping together...but next time at least buy me dinner first." She smirked, making Blake scowl and unwrap her arms from around Yang. The brawler, however, saw a flicker of relief flash through Blake's eyes...the girl had been worried about her. Nice.

Violet colored eyes turned to a grinning Ruby. Yang untangled herself from Blake and stood up before turning to the book that Blake got her.

"Rubes, check out what Blake got me...she's the best partner ever!" Yang cheered as she picked up the book and tossed it to Ruby. Ruby caught it and from once glance at the cover a broad grin crossed her face. Weiss was grumbling about how she was a phenomenal partner to Ruby but both sisters ignored her. They were too enraptured by fond memories.

"No way! This is awesome! Thanks Blake!" Ruby's grey eyes lit up with mirth as she nodded to Blake before looking back to her sister.

Yang slung an arm across her shoulders,"It's nice." She murmured fondly and Ruby nodded in agreement. Planting a kiss on Ruby's forehead Yang checked the time. It was Saturday and ten o'clock in the morning, no school, she grinned and turned to the girls.

Ruby shared her grin,"So what are we doing today Team RWBY!"

* * *

"Look at that faunus stowaway...what a no good miscreant!" Weiss spat in disdain as the monkey tailed boy sprinted past the girls, not forgetting to flash Blake a wink as he ran by. Yang grimaced at Weiss's comment, knowing full well how Blake was going to react.

"Would you stop calling him that-"

"Hey!" Yang interjected, causing the two girls to whirl on her,"Look, in all fairness...that kid was a total stowaway. Not every faunus is bad...but not all of them are good either." Yang conceded and Weiss nodded in approval,"However, Weiss, you have got to chill with your hatred of the faunus. Velvet is going to be sitting with us from now on, and I invited her so she _wouldn't_ be bullied." Yang said pointedly and Weiss rolled her eyes while Blake bristled slightly.

"I don't hate the faunus species...I don't particularly trust them either. I'll be nice to Velvet...I may be a bitch but I'm not completely heartless." The white haired girl shrugged and Ruby frowned.

"Weiss, you're mean...but I don't think you're a bitch-"

"Ruby. Language." Yang scolded and Ruby looked at her incredulously.

"You cuss all the time!" She argued and Yang snorted, unimpressed with her argument.

"That's because I'm _fucking older._ Now, don't cussing or I'll wash your damn mouth out." Yang promised with a smirk and Ruby paled, she knew the brawler wasn't lying. Yang had done that before.

"Can we please just go back to the dorms? It's hot." Blake grumbled grouchily and Yang winced, Weiss's constant faunus bashing had been aggravating the girl all day. Yang wasn't so offended by the faunus comments, she didn't particularly care if they were being bashed on so long as it wasn't Velvet or Blake being attacked.

Ruby nodded,"Sure, let's go." Tensions had been high between Weiss and Blake lately due to their different views on the faunus. Of course, Ruby was pro faunus just because Yang was part faunus, and Yang could care less. But ever since the group had stumbled upon a possible White Fang crime scene...the Weiss and Blake had been going off on each other about the issue.

The four girls made their way back to the dorms. Yang and Ruby were happily chatting away whilst Blake and Weiss glowered at each other and stayed broodily silent. The second they reached their room Pyrrha called out to Yang. The blonde grinned and walked over to her.

"What's up?"

The green eyed girl looked at her worriedly,"Do you really think the White Fang stole all that dust?" She asked and Yang squeezed her eyes shut. Shit.

"Of course they did! Why is that even a question!" Weiss snarled and Blake was quick to defend them. Pyrrha's eyes widened and Yang gave her a mock glare.

"Thanks for that." She snapped playfully,"You just sparked WWIII in here." Pyrrha giggled and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Well, I know you can handle it." And she disappeared, leaving a stuttering, red faced Yang behind. Slowly Yang placed a hand on her cheek with wide eyes before grinning happily. _PYRRHA KISSED MY CHEEK! WOOT!_ She almost cheered but realized Weiss and Blake were in a screaming match with one another. Meanwhile Ruby couldn't get the two of them to break it up so Yang stalked over to them.

The blonde opened the door to their room and Ruby nodded to her. The sisters herded the girls into their room and Yang slammed the door shut, hoping to get their attention, but it didn't work.

"The White Fang are menaces! I don't know why we haven't done more to wipe them out! Never trust a faunus!" Weiss yelled and before Blake could respond, Yang slapped a hand over her mouth.

Purple eyes burned with irritation as she looked at the girl,"Weiss, as much as I hate the White Fang, you generalize all of the faunus just because of a group of radicals."

Weiss shook her head angrily,"You don't get it, Yang-"

"Oh I do get it. And so does Ruby." Their leader nodded in affirmation,"They've treated us terribly, one member even attempted to kill my father when we were children. But that doesn't mean all the faunus are bad." Yang explained gently and Ruby stepped towards them.

"Not even all of the White Fang are bad...they used to actually fight for equality in peaceful ways." Ruby pointed out and Yang smiled proudly at her before slowly moving her hand from Blake's mouth.

Weiss shook her head stubbornly,"No, you two don't know the White Fang like I do-"

"And maybe we don't!" Ruby conceded, trying to keep the peace,"But you can't hate all the faunus just because a few of them chose to...be evil." She tried to be delicate when speaking and Yang gave her a reassuring smile. Ruby was the leader so Yang was taking a backseat on this one.

Weiss turned to Ruby,"What, you like them?" She snorted incredulously and Ruby bristled. Yang knew that her sister was being defensive about her and it was rather endearing.

"You know what? Yeah, I do. And so does Yang. Faunus are great!" Ruby protested and Yang gave her sister a small smile while grey eyes hardened slightly.

Weiss sighed in exasperation,"Very few faunus are actually nice. The rest are just White Fang empathizers and I can't stand that." Weiss snapped and Blake chose this moment to once again jump in.

"You hate faunus who empathize with the White Fang? You're ridiculous. All the faunus that are tired of being mistreated by _humans_ join the White Fang!" Blake snarled,"But you wouldn't know anything about that, huh princess? What could you have possibly lost?"

Ruby grimaced,"Blake-"

The girl didn't heed her warning,"You hate the faunus because you're a pretentious brat!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss screamed in utter acrimony, effectively cutting Blake off as she looked at her with utter malice. The Schnee let out a breath and composed herself before continuing,"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the faunus? It's because they've been in war with my family for years. War as in actual bloodshed. Ever since I was a child, I've watched family, friends disappear. Board members...executed." Her voice cracked at the memories,"An entire train car full of dust stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious. And that made for a very _difficult_ childhood." Weiss spat with disdain as blue eyes pierced amber ones.

Yang took a step backwards, at a loss for words. She had never figured that Weiss ever faced hardships. She felt bad for judging and dismissing the girl as quickly as she did when they first met. From the way Weiss spoke and how her facial expressions drastically became sadder...it really occurred to Yang that there was more to Weiss than she thought.

Weiss continued,"The White Fang are a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers-"

"Well maybe we're tired of being pushed around!" Blake roared before freezing, her mouth agape as she looked at her teammates in shock.

Ruby and Yang glanced at each other, they both already knew Blake was a faunus, but they didn't know she was affiliated with the White Fang. Yang reached out to her, knowing that it would be Blake's first instinct to run, but it was no use. Blake bolted out of the room while Weiss watched her go with a sneer.

"Good riddance." Yang felt something within her snap. Blake had taken care of her when Tukson had mocked her for who she was. And Yang wanted to return the favor. It was unfair for Weiss to hate Blake because she was a faunus. Yang was tired of the heiress treating people poorly just because they were different.

"Would you shut up! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Yang snapped, eyes blazing with hatred, and Weiss snorted.

"The innocent don't run."

"No, but the scared do!" The blonde roared,"Because people like you and Cardin pick on the faunus all the time!" She growled, her claws unsheathing involuntarily and this didn't go unnoticed by Weiss who looked at her in shock.

"Y-You're one of them too!" She let out a hysterical laugh,"Of course you are! You faunus have always been rather deceiving haven't you?" She spat with malice and Yang snapped her jaws at Weiss savagely, making the girl jump back in surprise.

Yang laughed cruelly,"Just what I thought! You're a damn coward! Fuck you-" She was cut off by someone grabbing her from behind. Yang whirled around to see Pyrrha, her heart thumped heavily in her chest, and Yang calmed as green eyes looked at her reassuringly.

"Let's get out of here. Ruby will handle Weiss." Pyrrha shared a nod with a rather livid Ruby. Yang let herself be dragged out of the room reluctantly, allowing her claws to sheathe and the rage to calm slightly as Pyrrha shut the door behind them. There was silence as Pyrrha continued pulling her away from the room.

The prodigy had moved her hand from Yang's arms and interlaced their fingers. The blonde's heart leapt and she swallowed thickly, momentarily forgetting about Blake's departure and Weiss's blatant discrimination.

They stopped when they were a good distance from Yang's room. Pyrrha looked at Yang sadly whilst the blonde scowled at the floor.

"Wanna talk about it?" Pyrrha asked gently, her hand resting on Yang's arm. She did want to talk about it, but that would involve exploiting Blake's secret. But Pyrrha was her best friend...she never hid anything from the girl. Not only she her best friend but Yang was hopelessly head over heels for the girl. However, Blake deserved her privacy, and Yang would always respect that.

"Not really." She mumbled, avoiding Pyrrha's gaze, knowing the ginger would feel rather hurt that Yang was keeping things to herself. With a clenched jaw Yang finally met the girl's eyes. There was a look of confusion and sadness in the depth of peridot colored eyes and Yang bit her lip.

"I can't...talk about it." Yang sighed, not sure how to get Pyrrha to understand, Yang had never been good with words.

"And why is that?"

The corner of Yang's lips curled into a small smile,"Nosy today are we?" Her attempt to diffuse the tension had failed.

Pyrrha gave her a look of disapproval,"Only when you're mysteriously upset. I heard what Weiss said...but something else happened to make you mad. Those types of things don't get to you like that." Pyrrha noted and Yang cracked a small grin.

"I'm afraid you know me too well. I'll tell you about it later...okay? Pinky promise." Yang held out her pinky and Pyrrha chuckled softly before wrapping hers around Yang's.

"I'll hold you to that." Pyrrha warned and Yang nodded, her grin widening, before she planted a kiss on Pyrrha's forehead. The warrior leaned into her, ivory colored arms wrapping around the bezerker's waist, whilst Yang wrapped her arms around Pyrrha's shoulders. With a sigh Yang felt all her previous anger ebb away while she laid her head atop Pyrrha's and held the girl closer to her.

"I know you will."

* * *

"Hey Blake, this is Yang, it's been a day now...uh call me back when you can...just come home." Yang pleaded before tucking her scroll away. She had sent Blake more texts than she could remember and called her a total of eleven times. But Blake never responded.

With a sigh the girl continued walking around the city of Vale. Hands stuffed in her pockets as she kicked at a rock. Yang was beginning to worry about Blake. Yes Yang hated the White Fang, they treated her terribly, even captured her once. Yang cringed at the memory before shaking her head.

Ever since Blake ran off with that stupid monkey boy...Yang had been rather anxious. Velvet had seen them run off together and it had infuriated Yang. Blake and Yang had grown closer as partners...yet she ran off with a complete stranger. In a way...Yang felt rather betrayed. She was so excited for Blake to finally tell her she was a faunus, then Yang would tell her about being half faunus, and it would all work out. But no...she ran to a stranger just because he had a fucking ugly monkey tail.

Yang cared for Blake, she didn't want her to feel like she was alone, but Blake did that all by herself. The faunus isolated herself and kept quiet. Yang hated that Blake struggled trusting people so much.

"Hey blondie." She turned to see a man behind her. He had flaming red hair and red eyes to match. He wore all black and was rather handsome in Yang's opinion. Horns stood at attention and a wicked grin on his lips made him look like a troublemaker. He was tall and sauntered over to her while she looked at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" She asked while warily eyeing the sword that remained in his sheathe. His gloved hands were loosely at his sides, indicating he wouldn't attack.

He shrugged,"A fellow faunus, figured you looked stressed, and in the most friendly way possible I was going to ask if you wanted to get something to eat. Maybe talk a bit. Haven't ran into any faunus in quite a bit." He shrugged, his smile loosing its sinister look so quickly, that Yang began to wonder if she imagined it.

"How could you tell-"

"Your smell...I have a better nose than most faunus." He shrugged before chuckling lightly,"So, wanna get out of this heat?" He offered,"Food on me." With narrowed eyes Yang contemplated his offer. He seemed like a shady character but she honestly had nothing better to do. Not to mention she could handle herself if things went askew.

"You got yourself a deal stranger." She grinned, this would also help take her mind off Blake. Sure this guy was attractive but Yang wasn't interested whatsoever. Only one ginger had her eye at the moment.

"Names Adam...Adam Trawen." His voice was smooth and deep, almost soothing in a way.

"I'm Yang, wherever you're taking me better have good food."

* * *

"You're kidding!" Yang laughed as she drank her milkshake greedily. Her eyes brightened as Adam shook his head with a hearty laugh. The two had been telling embarrassing stories of their childhood and Yang was having a rather good time.

"I wish I was. Got grounded for an entire month...just because of some damn superglue." He sighed in mock annoyance as he popped a fry in his mouth and looked at Yang curiously,"So you're part lion...how does that affect you?" He asked and Yang shrugged while resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

"I'm rather carnivorous...and my heartbeat is slower than normal. Pretty prideful with some cool teeth and claws to match." She smiled widely at him, exposing her fangs. He grinned as well whilst she continued,"What about you? Ever compelled to eat any grass or charge at anyone wearing the color red?" Yang teased and Adam snorted but his smile never left his face.

"I do rather hate the color red." He admitted and Yang laughed.

"What a shame, must suck to look in the mirror." He shook his head.

"It's quite the burden yes. But you should see me as a blonde...or with black hair. When I was younger I tried both...and boy was that a bad idea." He winced regretfully while Yang chuckled. Adam was a cool guy, he hadn't once made a pass at her or tired to kill her...or hated her for being half faunus. He didn't even condemn humans or promote the White Fang like quite a few of the faunus did.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I once tried to cut my own hair when I was a kid." Yang confessed and Adam chuckled.

"Judging from it's length I assume that was the last time you attempted?"

Yang nodded gravely,"Worst day of my life." She shuddered and Adam gave her a sympathetic nod.

"Having good hair is quite the burden." He ran hand through his and Yang flipped her hair over her shoulder simultaneously. They both paused and looked at each other before laughing.

"It is." Yang agreed once their laughter died down. Adam looked at her closely for a moment before smiling broadly.

"You know, I like you kid, I want to do you a favor." He offered and she looked at him curiously before scowling.

"You're only two years older than me! I'm not a kid!" Yang protested before frowning, is this how Ruby felt when she was called a kid? Yang snorted to herself, but Ruby was actually her baby sister, Ruby would forever be a kid to her,"What's the favor?" She asked the nineteen year old who ate another fry from Yang's plate.

"I wanna show you what it means to be a faunus. Not White Fang stuff or anything like that. It's just evident that you don't know how to utilize all the abilities you have. And while I do that I also want to teach you some new fighting moves if that's alright." He looked at her hopefully,"I know Beacon does classes during the day...so I figured twice a week we could train together? Then every once and I while we can hang out or something?" He asked, clearly fearful of rejection as he gave a small smile.

Yang raised an eyebrow,"What do you want from me, Adam? Not that I don't enjoy your company and all...but why come to me with all this?"

Adam shrugged and looked away,"I figured, why not? I was getting pretty lonely...and you seemed..interesting. I figured we could teach each other some cool tricks...maybe you could teach me some boxing? That sound like a plan, Kid?" She realized now why he called her kid, he wanted to show her that his actions were completely platonic. And honestly, Yang appreciated it.

"Alright...why not? I could always get better." Yang nodded slowly and Adam grinned.

"We start tomorrow night, Monday. We'll practice on Mondays and Thursdays." He promised,"At...nine to twelve?" He looked at her for confirmation and she nodded with a smirk.

"Sure, then I can beat your ass in boxing." She radiated with confidence and she knew that.

He smirked back,"We'll see about that, Kid, but I like your edge, don't lose it when I beat the shit out of you." Competitiveness seeped out of his voice as he spoke and Yang's smirk broadened.

"Keeping dreaming, Gingersnap."

"Whatever you say, Goldilocks." He shot back and Yang laughed mockingly.

"Cute."

Adam turned serious for a moment as he glanced around the restaurant wearily,"Just...don't tell anyone that you meet with me okay? A lot of people don't like me and I don't want people to judge you for hanging out with me." He pleaded and Yang snorted.

"I don't care what they think-"

"I know you don't...just please don't say a word about me. I'm technically not supposed to be here...I'll tell you all about it one day, but not today. I have to go." He stood up and Yang did as well. He gave her a quick hug and extracted himself before it became intimate,"It was nice to finally meet you. I'll see you tomorrow night...I'll be at the edge of Beacon. Don't be late." He said before flashing her a smile,"See ya, Kid." And he left.

Yang smiled after him before frowning, _nice to finally meet you._ What did that mean? Did he already know about her? They barely knew each other, so why offer this deal? So many questions, so little answers, Yang stood up with her milkshake in hand and walked out of the restaurant. Adam had already disappeared, he was a strange guy, and Yang was almost nervous about him.

But there was something so genuine about him. He seemed so excited to be talking with her and spending time with her. Not to mention he was anything but romantic which was extremely rare in Yang's case. Maybe he just wanted to learn how to box? She pondered as she pulled out her scroll and began texting Blake.

It would be her fifteenth message. Yang scowled, tired of Blake ignoring her, with an angry huff she jammed her scroll back into her pocket. Fine, Blake could run all she wanted, Yang could care less.

Her body betrayed her as she swallowed thickly and felt her jaw clench in anger. Yang didn't know why she cared so much about Blake. It wasn't as though the girl had always been kind to her. She had read her Goodnight Moon and that was as close as the two had gotten. But there was something holding Yang back from blowing off Blake...and she didn't know what that was.

* * *

"Too sloppy." Adam barked as he swung his sword at Yang's head. The blonde snarled in response as she ducked and launched herself at him. Her claws extended and her teeth bared. Adam swiftly dodged her and landed a hard kick to her gut as she flew by him.

She was weaponless, only fighting with her faunus attributes, and it was damn difficult. She didn't have the usual speed that Ember Celcia typically gave her and it was a bit disorienting.

She felt naked without her gauntlets and she hated wind was knocked out of her as she slammed into the ground. Pain and anger licked her body as she stood up and let out another growl. Purple colored eyes morphed into red ones as she glowered murderously at Adam. He stared at her, his face void of all emotion until Yang began to glow.

Her hair turned a bright golden color and flames danced around the girl. He stared in awe at her semblance before she rushed at him. He swung his sword mightily and with a smirk, Yang stopped the blade with her hands as she clapped both of them on the flat part of his sword. Blood oozed from the palms of her hands and trickled down Adam's sword.

She was too brash, too reckless, and too sloppy. That's what Adam had told her. And Yang, knowing she'd be feeling that pain in the morning, knew he was right. But that didn't curb her irrational fighting style, if anything it fueled it. She wanted to prove him wrong, show him that her fighting style was effective, but of course it was dangerous for her to be doing so.

He let out a snarl as he ripped his sword from her grasp. Yang took this time and flew towards him. Her bare hand enclosed around Adam's throat and she lifted him up into the air. With a roar she threw him as far as she could...which was extremely far, and he slammed into a tree.

Yang laughed, loving the exhilarating rush of the fight,"Awe c'mon Adam! Don't tell me all that smack you were talking earlier was just bull." She joked as she stalked towards him menacingly. Her hand still gushing blood but she was too full of adrenaline to even realize it.

Her body was buzzing, her breathing erratic, her pulse pounding. She lived for this feeling. The high of the fight and the boost of adrenaline made her muscles twitch with anticipation as she bounced on her toes. Adam jumped to his feet, red eyes glowing much like Yang's, before charging forward. Yang met his charge with one of her own.

Adam had said she needed to get comfortable fighting as a faunus before she could do anything else. She had fought with her claws and teeth before, but never to someone as experienced as Adam.

He swung his sword at her chest but she was too slow to dodge. Instead, she hastily threw her arm up and screamed in acrimony as he slammed his blade into her forearm. He froze, his eyes widened in shock, but Yang's anger was overwhelming as a savage snarl ripped from her lips. Her pain was numbed by her semblance but she knew she'd be feeling it very soon.

Yang thought of how Blake was continuously ignoring her. She thought of Tukson and what he had said to her two days ago. She thought of Cardin bullying Velvet, she thought of that monkey faunus, hell...she even thought of her mother's abandonment. With all of her pent up anger, she channeled it into her next attack.

With her exposed claws she tore into his chest. He howled in pain as crimson leaked from his skin and down his black clothes. He ripped the sword from Yang's arm and put up a hand in resignation, hissing in pain, her put a hand over his chest to try to slow the bleeding.

"Let's stop now...before we kill each other." He conceded, wincing, and Yang nodded, not daring to look at her arm. Adam's chest looked as though he had been cut with swords rather than claws. The cuts were deep and oozing with blood, Yang glanced at the blood that coated her hands and claws, grimacing in disgust. At least she hadn't bit Adam.

"There's got to be a better way to do this." She grumbled as she finally looked at her arm. The cut was nearly to the bone, Adam could have sliced her damn arm off if he wasn't more careful. He looked at her apologetically and coughed while trying to stop his own wounds from bleeding.

The two walked back to where they left their belongings. Yang cursed profusely as the pain in her arm began to worsen. Her semblance began to fade and she gritted her teeth. It was a sharp pain and her arm felt as though it was on fire. With a weary huff she slumped to the ground and cradled her arm to her chest. Blood flowed from her open wound and she began to feel lightheaded.

Adam hastily wrapped his torso in gauze to slow his own bleeding. Yang watched as he expertly wrapped himself. His fingers nimbly tying the gauze together to get the maximum amount of pressure on the wound.

"That's going to need stitches...thankfully not a lot. And with your aura it'll heal faster." Adam murmured, looking at her arm, as he sat in front of her and pulled out a needle. She looked at him warily and he chuckled,"Trust me Kid, you'll be thanking me for this. Good job by the way...it was a good fight." He nodded towards her and she smiled.

"You've got some moves, Gingersnap. But I feel like you were going easy on me." She commented suspiciously and he grinned sheepishly as he examined her arm. The gauze around his chest was already soaked in blood.

"You're new to fighting like this. I don't want to push you too hard."

"You only sliced my lip, cut my hand, and nearly cut my arm off. No big deal." Yang retorted teasingly making Adam wince and look at her apologetically.

Luckily Yang's aura had been saving her from worse injuries.

"We'll find a safer way to do this...can't guarantee a damn thing when we begin boxing though." He smirked and Yang bit back a yelp as he began stitching her arm up. Pain laced through her arm and Yang held back her whimper. She felt more blood trickle down her skin and Adam sighed.

"Good thing you've thirty minutes to spare with me, eh?" He smiled and Yang fought back a frown. She'd rather be playing with Ruby or hanging out with Pyrrha...maybe even letting Blake read to her again. Blake...she was still gone. Yang purged Blake from her mind albeit bitterly, the girl had run off with that complete stranger, that frustrated Yang to no end.

"Yeah. You're pretty cool...for a little bitch." She teased before yelping as he dug the needle in her skin. This, despite her injuries, had been a good night. Yang learned that she needed to be faster on her feet, and a smarter fighter. And for some reason that was Adam was willing to train her these skills.

* * *

By the time Yang walked up to her dorm she saw...an apologetic Blake standing outside of the door. Yang figured she looked a like a mess, sweaty hair, an arm and hand wrapped in blood soaked gauze, and a thick scratch on her lip that would probably scar over. But she didn't care in that moment. Blake noticed her injuries as well and gaped in horror.

"If we're going to have a heart to heart...maybe we should do it someplace else." Yang suggested rather scathingly before turning on her heel and walking away from the dorms. Once outside Yang turned to face a very hesitant Blake Belladonna. The girl was staring at her injuries anxiously.

"Where have you been?" Blake asked worriedly and Yang scowled.

"I suppose I could be asking you the same question. You ditched all of us, to run off with some...monkey kid. A complete stranger...I'm your partner, Blake. And sure, I get you don't like me, but regardless...you're stuck with me. I've been worried sick about you for two fucking days...with no word from you!" Yang hissed furiously, her good hand balled into a fist whilst her other one hung limply at her side.

The intense burning sensation that Yang felt from her wounds was fueling her agitation. Yang's body, _hurt_ , and she was tired of Blake dismissing her all the time. Yang genuinely liked Blake, she was so curious about her mysterious partner.

Blake looked at her feet shamefully,"I...I don't dislike you, Yang-"

"But you don't like me. You could care less of what happens to me." Yang laughed dryly and Blake's eyes snapped upwards and met Yang's.

"That's not true-"

"Then why'd you leave! Why didn't you respond to any of my messages or phone calls? Why would you confide in some stranger instead of me-"

"Dammit, Yang, would you let me finish a damn sentence!" Blake snapped angrily,"I left because I didn't want you to think any less of me because I'm a faunus. I didn't want you to think poorly of me...you've always been so nice to me...even when I don't deserve it. I didn't want that to change." Blake mumbled, the anger in her voice dissipated as she looked at Yang in sheer guilt and humiliation.

Blake's head was bowed and her gaze was downcast. It was as though she feared looking at the blonde. The brawler instantly softened and let out a quiet laugh, so that's why Blake ditched her? The situation was comical really, Blake was worried that she was a freak, when in reality Yang was considered an even bigger one. Yang was immensely relieved that Blake had come back. The blonde didn't want another partner.

Yang gave her a sad smile and took a step closer,"You think I care that you're a faunus?" She let out a tinkling laugh and Blake looked embarrassed,"I don't even care that you were in the White Fang...I'm just happy you came home." Yang took another step closer and slowly reached for Blake's bow, gauging her reaction as she did so,"Can I?" She asked calmly and Blake looked at her for a moment before slowly nodding.

Yang gently tugged on the ribbon and unraveled it. A pair of furry, black ears sat proudly atop Blake's head. Yang reached out and gently ran a thumb over one of them, and Blake flinched away from her.

Ignoring this, Yang grinned,"They're beautiful, Kitten. I love them. Wish I had me a pair of those." She pointed to Blake's ears. Blake was blushing and looking at Yang as though she had grown a second head.

"When you all found out I was a faunus...the only one who looked surprised was Weiss. Care to explain that?" She completely brushed off Yang's compliment, exhibiting that she was too flustered to broach the subject again.

Yang then laughed lightly,"Blake, Ruby and I've known from the moment we first saw you that you were a faunus." She shrugged,"I never cared. Why do you think I always called you kitten?"

Blake blanched,"H-How-"

Yang tilted her head to the side, figuring now was as good a time as any,"Takes one to know one." And with a crooked grin, Yang exposed her abnormally sharp canines. Her claws extended and uncharacteristically gawked at her. Taking a hesitant step forward she reached out and touched her claws as though testing to see if they were real.

Blake's eyes narrowed in speculation as she gently brought her hand up to prod Yang's fangs. Yang stood still, eyes following Blake's movements, noticing the fascination in her eyes as she inspected Yang. Her ears twitched adorably as her face contorted into a frustrated huff, leaning closer she sniffed Yang's neck, trying to detect her faunus smell. Yang's amused smile grew as Blake looked at her quizzically. It was utterly adorable.

"What are you?" Blake asked in frustration and Yang shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm half faunus, I'm part lion." Yang explained and Blake looked at her skeptically.

"There's no such thing as a half faunus. Humans and faunus don't mix-"

"You're one of many to not believe me." Yang interrupted,"But that's why my scent is nearly nonexistent, only one faunus has been able to pick it up. Ruby isn't a faunus, she and I have different mothers, my mom's a faunus...so I'm like this." Yang gestured to herself as she looked a still rather surprised Blake.

"How do the humans treat you?" Blake asked, her voice void of emotion as her shock died down.

Yang shrugged again,"Way better than faunus." She said honestly,"The faunus, most of them anyway, think I'm an abomination and some other bullshit I don't listen to." She grumbled in annoyance as she rolled her eyes,"It was one of the reasons Tukson hated me, it's why he called me a mutt, I'm not purebred. All of the White Fang detests me, I'm too human for them, never liked them anyway." Yang snorted before realizing Blake was White Fang,"Erm, but you're not like them. You're incredible!" She enthused, hoping to cover up her blunder.

Blake laughed, albeit quietly, it was still enough to make Yang smile,"Thank you..." She turned somber instantly,"I'm sorry I ran...and I hope you know I don't think any less of you because you're only half faunus." Blake said as she took a step closer to Yang.

Yang reached out with a small smile,"I'm glad...I've missed you Kitten." Blake huffed but grabbed Yang's hand regardless, reluctantly allowing herself to be pulled into. Hugging Blake was so different compared to hugging Pyrrha. Blake was smaller than the jade eyed girl, she sunk into Yang's arm stiffly whilst Pyrrha was far quicker to reciprocate hugs. Pyrrha was Yang's height, and whilst she wasn't fond of hugs either, she allowed Ruby and Yang to be the exceptions.

"I...suppose I've missed you too." Blake admitted grudgingly making Yang's smile broaden,"Weiss accepts me now...Ruby told me what happened between the two of you. Thanks for sticking up for me." Blake mumbled into Yang's shoulder and the blonde chuckled lightly.

"You're my partner, Blakey! Of course I'd stand up for you!" Yang declared and Blake groaned.

"Another nickname?"

"Uh Yeah." Yang snorted.

"So are you gonna tell me what you were up to?" Yang mumbled as she loosened her grip on Blake.

Blake pulled away with a sheepish smile,"I met this monkey faunus-"

"Oh I'm perfectly aware of _him."_ Yang growled and Blake looked at her in surprise,"The kid who doesn't know how to button his damn shirt."

"...I take it you don't like him-"

"I mean, I'm sure he's fine, if you like ugly monkey tails. But I'm a way better partner than him!" Yang snorted and Blake cracked the faintest hint of a smirk.

"Yang, are you jealous?"

The blonde huffed, not wanting to admit she was,"Of course not! I'll have you know that I made a friend while search for you too!" She stuck her tongue out and Blake laughed.

"Who?" She asked, all tension between the two had dissipated as Yang grinned.

"He's a faunus too, and he's way better than that monkey kid." Yang bragged before winking at Blake,"But not as awesome as you." Blake hummed as her ear twitched, quickly drawing Yang's attention.

"What's his name-"

"Damn I love your ears!" Yang belted out as restrained herself from touching them,"I've never seen a cat faunus with ears before! Imagine if you had a tail too! AH that'd be adorable!" Yang squealed, part of her being serious, the other part was trying to distract Blake from asking any more questions about Adam.

Blake narrowed her eyes, noticing Yang's change in subject,"I'm surprised you like my ears so much."

"Who wouldn't like your ears? They're amazing!" Yang said in genuine adoration and Blake sighed as the blonde continued to stare.

"Thank you, but let's go inside, I'm tired...and you need to heal your wounds...how'd you get them anyway?" Blake asked as the two began to walk back to their dorm.

Yang paused, looking away from her perceptive partner,"Uh, needed to blow off steam."

 **Adam's behavior will be further explained.**


	4. Chapter 4

Yang let out a whimper as she limped back to her dorm, her lip was busted, and her head was throbbing painfully. Training nights with Adam were intense and brutal, the two had quick tempers, and that was a dangerous combination. The metallic taste of blood clung to her lips and stuck to her canines making her grimace. She licked her fangs, hoping to rid herself of the taste.

This time Adam had impaled her leg, luckily not too deep, and she in turn had sunk her teeth into his collarbone. The game they were playing was a rather sadistic one, each hit they both took fueled their craving for each other's blood.

However when it ended, the two acted as though they were never trying to kill each other. He'd sling an arm around her shoulders and she'd lean into him as they stitched each other up, they'd talk aimlessly about their past or exchange battle stories.

It was completely platonic, Yang didn't like Adam romantically, he was only a friend. A friend who doted on her as much as she doted on Ruby. Yang wasn't going to lie, it was kinda nice, he always stressed about her wellbeing...when they weren't sparring.

With a quiet hiss Yang limped into the room. She slowly closed the door behind her, and glared angrily at her bed. There was no way she could climb to it, not in her injured state. There was always the floor. With gritted teeth, Yang reached up and pulled her blanket down, ignoring the pillow that was on the opposite side of the bed.

A pained breath escaped her lips as she slowly lowered herself to the floor. Hoping she didn't alert any of her teammates, she paused and listened, steady breathing and slow heartbeats filled her ears. Her team still slept. She finally sunk to the ground and wrapped the blanket around herself.

A mistake on her part when the cloth brushed her lip. Another whimper escaped her and she jerked in pain, causing her leg to hit the bed. Her eyes watered at the burning sensation but she kept her mouth shut. With a shuttered breath she feebly pulled the cover to her chin.

"Yang?" Shit. The blonde grimaced as she heard Blake slide out of her bed,"What are you doing on the floor?"

The brawler squeezed her eyes shut,"I...I can't make it to my bed...injured leg." She groaned quietly as Blake approached her. Amber eyes practically glowed as they observed her nervously. Yang smiled slightly at the sight of Blake's ears sitting proudly atop her head. Glad that the faunus no longer felt the need to hide them from her friends.

Weiss and Blake had made up much to Yang's relief. Whilst the blonde still didn't like the Schnee, she was happy that Weiss had apologized to the two of them. Weiss was getting better, anytime she called Ruby "Dolt" it was used more as a term for endearment than degrading as it had been. Yang almost liked the Schnee's company, glad that she was loosening up and becoming more comfortable around their team.

"And how'd you do that?" Blake asked as she bent down to pick Yang up. The faunus brushed against Yang's leg making the girl yelp and flinch away. Blake's eyes widened as she pulled the blanket back and looked at Yang's wound in disbelief. Dry blood clung to the gauze and Yang shrunk away from Blake.

"I...I had a run in with some ursa. Don't worry about it. Just go to bed." Yang grumbled before laying back down. The blonde wished Blake would just leave her alone, let her sleep, she was exhausted and she knew Blake was too. They both needed their sleep.

"Fine. We'll talk about what you were really doing, in the morning." Blake shrugged before leaning down and swiftly picking Yang up. Yang squeaked unexpectedly making Blake smirk. Yang chuckled quietly as Blake laid her in her bed before crawling in next to her.

"Blake, you still haven't bought me dinner and we're sleeping together again? Scandalous." Yang winked, knowing full well Blake could see it in the dark. Night vision was rather useful. Blake scowled and rolled over, her back facing Yang. The blonde saw the various goosebumps on Blake's uncovered arms as the girl pulled the blankets up over both of them. Yang huffed, feeling immensely warm, and kicked the blankets off both of them making Blake grumble angrily.

"Just shut up and go to sleep." Blake snapped quietly and Yang shrugged before throwing an arm around the faunus. Blake stiffened in surprise as she was dragged to her partner's chest. However, she didn't try to wiggle free, but wedged herself deeper into Yang,"It's only because I'm cold." Blake muttered and Yang hummed in response as she closed her eyes.

* * *

Blake was extremely worried about Yang. The girl came back to their dorm covered in cuts and bruises multiple nights during the week. She was losing sleep, though she looked perky and seemed bubbly, she was extremely sleep deprived. The brawler fell asleep in many of their classes and even the second school was over she'd fall asleep in their room...at four o'clock in the evening.

Yang fell asleep at four only to wake up at nine and completely vanish. Only Mondays and Thursdays...sometimes the occasional Saturdays. She'd be gone for hours before coming back all beaten up. No matter how many times Blake asked, Yang kept her lips sealed, making up blatant lies and shrugging Blake off.

A small laugh escaped said girl and Blake glanced over at Yang. Professor Port was yelling about another one of his grimm stories and Yang was texting on her scroll. Lilac colored eyes lit up as she typed away furiously on her scroll. Blake callously read the messages, Yang was so open about her scroll that Blake didn't have to lean over or attempt to be sneaky.

 _Gingersnap: We still on for Saturday, Goldilocks?_

 _Yang: No shit, hey since you like red so much, I think we should go to a Mexican restaurant._

 _Gingersnap: ...You're cute..._

 _Yang: That's what the boys AND girls tell me._

 _Gingersnap: Yeah, the blind ones._

 _Yang: Fuck you._

 _Gingersnap: Not even if you were the last woman alive._

 _Yang: You're so full of bull._

 _Gingersnap: How many times are you gonna use that pun :/_

With another chuckle, Yang closed her scroll, eyes gleaming with mirth despite the tiredness. She wedged herself deeper into her chair, her eyelids drooped, and she tilted her head back whilst a yawn escaped her lips. Blake frowned, who was Gingersnap? Yang finally closed her eyes, a soft breath escaped her as she dozed off. Blake nudged her, making her jump, her eyes snapped open frantically and she blinked rapidly before she sat up.

"Thanks." She mumbled blearily as she rubbed her eyes and tried to pay attention to the lecture. Blake nodded, keeping an eye on her partner, whatever Yang was hiding it wasn't good for her.

When class dismissed Blake was quick to grab Yang's arm and tug her into an empty classroom. Yang didn't protest, just allowed herself to be dragged as she yawned again, Blake flicked on the lights and stepped away from the blonde who leaned heavily against the wall.

"Spill." Blake demanded and Yang raised a bemused eyebrow.

"Spill what?"

Blake scowled,"Where have you been running off to at night? It's not good for you Yang, you need your sleep-"

"No where, alright!" Yang snapped grouchily,"I just need some time to myself is all." She huffed before turning on her heel to walk away. Blake reached out and caught her hand, Yang froze, the faunus pulled her partner and forced her to spin around.

"Yang, don't shut me out." She pleaded quietly and Yang snorted before shaking her head.

"Oh, me shut you out? You're kidding right?" She growled before shaking her head,"This coming from the girl who barely acknowledges me anymore ever since I told you I was a half faunus." She snarled and Blake gritted her teeth, her eyes darkening as she glowered at Yang.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She hissed, but she was lying, and they both knew that.

Yang laughed hysterically as she sauntered over to Blake and got in her face,"Bullshit, the only time you talk to me is when I make you or when you see a new scar on me. Other than that, you ignore me, pretend I'm not there. We had a better relationship before you knew my secret and I'm beginning to realize why we did." Yang laughed bitterly and Blake winced, taking a step backwards.

It was true, Blake had been avoiding Yang as much as she could. Truthfully she was a little disgruntled with Yang's heritage. Blake was rather jealous that Yang had the faunus attributes yet the normalcy to pass off as completely human. The girl seemed to have it so easy and Blake knew this wasn't the truth. She knew it was petty, and she wanted to apologize, but her stubbornness wouldn't let her.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Blake argued, her eyes glistened with anger at Yang's truthful accusations. Blake had never seen herself as vain or jealous, but when it came to Yang...she just wished that she was half faunus as well. Yang would never understand the troubles that all the other faunus went through.

Yang chuckled darkly, eyes turning a hazy red,"I don't know what your game is, Blake, but I'm tired of playing it." She suddenly softened, her eyes reverting back to their normal color,"I...I don't know what I did but I'm sorry." Yang sighed and scratched the back of her neck nervously. Blake's eyes widened, guilt began to consume her as the blonde backed away from her. Her sudden mood shift was surprising and rather unwelcome.

Blake wanted to be mad at Yang. She hated how easily she was beginning to trust this girl, and she hated how much she liked her. The faunus loathed that just a smile from the girl was enough to make her feel better, she couldn't stand how enraptured she was by her lilac iris's, and she hated how Yang could make her feel better no matter what the situation.

Blake didn't know why or how Yang made her feel like this, but it bothered her. However it didn't bother her as much as knowing that she was the cause of her partner's stress and anger.

"Yang," She said softly, reaching out against her better judgement, and pulling the girl into tight hug,"I'm sorry...I'm not mad at your or anything like that. I'm just stupid alright?" Yang chuckled again, this time it was filled with mirth as she held Blake close to her.

"You're not stupid, Kitten, maybe silly from time to time...but never stupid." She assured her and Blake smiled before pulling away and looking at Yang in concern.

"Just get some sleep tonight...yeah?" Blake pleaded and Yang nodded slowly.

"Mkay." She mumbled with a tired smile.

* * *

"Alright Gingersnap! Wanna explain to me why you're teaching me sword fighting. I thought I was supposed to unlock my inner faunus." Yang snorted as she pointed her sword at Adam. It was a long red sword, identical to his, he had let her borrow it and she was rather excited to learn how to use it.

Adam shrugged with an easy going grin,"I figured since you got your claws and teeth down," She looked pointedly at his exposed collarbone to see her fang imprints that had scarred over,"I could teach you a bit of sword fighting while we're at it." He suggested and Yang smiled widely before nodding enthusiastically.

"Sure! On guard!" She declared and Adam chuckled.

"Whoa there Kid! First we're going to fall into a rhythm, try to work out your form." He put his sword out and lightly tapped Yang's, they parried slowly back and forth, Yang frowning in concentration as she instinctively balanced on her toes.

Adam shook his head,"Plant your feet, Yang. This isn't hand to hand combat. You need to be firm when fighting with a sword." Yang huffed before becoming flatfooted, watching Adam closely, she mimicked his posture. Back straight, chin up, feet parted slightly, and free arm behind her back. Soon their paced picked up, Yang struggled as she watched the clash of the swords, Adam grinned at her and she scowled at him.

"This is hard...when do I get to teach you boxing?" She whined and Adam chuckled, knowing she hated the lack of speed and proximately whilst fighting.

"Soon, after sword fighting." He assured her before he broke their rhythm and took a quick swing for her stomach. Yang yelped and sloppily blocked his sword with her own. Her eyes pulsed with excitement as she took a stab at Adam, only for him to flick his wrist and send her sword flying.

Her eyes widened in awe,"Whoa...teach me how to do that!" Eventually their sword fighting escalated. Yang scrambling to block Adam's unyielding blows. Her eyes squinted in concentration as the blade came towards her face, she bent backward to avoid it, but she was too slow.

Adam had sliced the corner of her lip. Her eyes widened at the taste of blood and she stumbled backwards. Her lip felt as though it was burning, she grimaced and Adam let his guard down.

"Yang-" Her eyes flashed red as she swung at him, catching his cheek and making him hiss and recoil. Yang let out a breath, trying to control her temper, a nasty trait of hers. Her eyes softened instantly as he cupped his cheek and grimaced in pain.

"I-I'm sorry." She stammered, taking a hesitant step towards him,"I shouldn't have...I'm sorry." She genuinely felt bad for her actions. Adam hadn't meant to cut her, she had attacked him when his guard was down, it was childish and she was berating herself for doing such a thing. All the other times Adam or her had harmed one another it was accidental but they were both in the heat of the battle, neither one letting their guard down. But this was purely intentional, and the battle had stopped the moment his blade touched her skin.

But she didn't.

He chuckled as he gently cupped her face in his hands,"Don't worry about it, Kid, it's what I get for cutting you in the first place." She hissed as he wiped the blood away with his thumb and examined her wound closely. She in turn stopped the blood from trickling down his cheek and let out a sigh.

"I shouldn't get so angry."

"Trust me when I say, you're not the only one with anger problems." He promised as he pulled away and frowned,"Good news is your cut won't need stitches, bad news, it'll most likely scar." He looked at her remorsefully and she patted his arm reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it, chicks dig scars." She winked before gently reaching out and clasping his shoulder whilst examining his new scar. Adam looked at his feet guiltily before glancing back up at Yang.

"You know I'll never mean to hurt you...right?" He spoke softly as he anxiously ran a hand through his orange, spiked hair. Red eyes softened considerably as he looked at Yang's lip, his hands clenched and unclenched in anxiety, and a regretful smile played on his lips.

Yang held her hand up,"Of course you won't, you're like, my best friend." He clasped her hand tightly in his and his smile lost it's guilty looked and was replaced with mirth as he looked down at her.

"...I'm really glad I met you, Kid."

* * *

Once their practice was over Adam took Yang to a local bar in Vale. The two sat on stool next to one another, they were almost completely unscathed. Adam had only taught Yang the defense and disarming techniques of sword fighting, he then offered to buy Yang a drink, which she excepted without hesitation.

They had ended their training early. It was 10:00 and they had decided to hang out before departing. Not to mention neither of them could continue going back to their companions with injuries, people got too suspicious.

"Strawberry Sunrise...now this is the stuff!" Yang cheered, ignoring the bartender who lingered and leered at Yang before serving the other customers.

Adam glowered at the bartender before glancing at the blonde,"That's some weak shit, Goldilocks, I expected stronger for a brawler." He egged her on and she narrowed her eyes, a smirk adorning her lips.

She called the bartender back over,"Fire whisky, a glass, not a shot." She slid her Strawberry Surprise away from her as the bartender poured her a glass.

"Careful now baby, don't want you to burn yourself." He winked and Adam spoke up before Yang could.

"I'm sorry, I believe you're here to work, not to socialize. Fuck off." He growled, protectively inching in front of the blonde, red eyes glowing ominously which made the bartender flinch away and get back to work. Yang grinned and punched Adam in the shoulder softly.

"Thanks Gingersnap, though I could have handled him, had my fair share of creeps." She shrugged and Adam scowled at this.

"Yeah well, he's way too old for you, and you shouldn't have to put up with that shit." He snarled lowly before letting out a breath to calm himself,"Sorry...I just don't want people messing with my little apprentice." He cooed as he pinched her cheek making her laugh and bat his hand away.

"Whatever, but check this out." She held up the fire whisky, a flame danced on top of it, and Adam's eyes widened.

"Yang I was kidding, don't hurt yourself-" She downed it, flame and all, with a single gulp she slammed the cup onto the bar. Wiping her mouth and grinning at Adam's shocked facial expression. She didn't even blink, sure the drink had a bit of a kick, but Yang could handle the heat. She also had a rather high alcohol tolerance.

"I...I'm impressed, a little terrified...and really proud." Adam confessed as he ruffled her hair affectionately, making her laugh. Though she hated it when people tousled her hair, there was something remarkably endearing when Adam did so. He treated her like family and she absolutely loved that.

"Thank you, though that doesn't mean much coming from you." She teased and he slugged her arm making her scowl at him while he laughed.

"Shut up and drink your Shitberry Sunrise-"

"Strawberry Sunrise!"

"That's what I said!" He grinned mischievously and Yang snorted while drinking her drink. Adam chugged his own drink down as well, the alcohol had loosened both of their tongues and made them talk freely. They relaxed even more in one another's company and before Yang knew it she was talking about Pyrrha. Confessing her huge crush on the redhead and complaining about the impossibilities of it all.

"But she's straight!" Yang groaned and Adam winced.

"Ooh...that's rough buddy." He patted her back as she laid her head on the bar.

"You're telling me...I've flirted with so many people in front of her! And she doesn't care!" Yang huffed as she sat up and took another swig of her drink. Her mind grew hazy as she leaned heavily against the bar. Was this her fifth drink? Seventh? One hundredth? She had lost count.

"Girls are the worst." Adam sympathized and Yang nodded in agreement.

"Dating boys is so much easier." She muttered before resting a chin on her fist,"Girls are so high maintenance...but really pretty so that's cool." She slurred and Adam nodded.

"Yeah, girls are hot, don't know how you like boys."

She looked at him blankly,"...boys are cute too! Not you, but other boys...hmm...like Neptune!" She concluded as she thought back to the blue haired boy. If she wasn't interested in Pyrrha, she'd date him immediately.

"I bet I'm way hotter than Neptune. Sounds like a loser." Adam grumbled as he swirled his drink around idly,"Get yourself a real man...with a name like...Gavin or Arryn or Burnie or...hell even Barbara is a better guy name than Neptune." He rambled aimlessly and Yang snorted before squinting at the clock. 10:40pm.

"Oh fuck me, I'm late." She stammered as she stumbled out of her seat. She downed her last two shots of fire whisky, bad idea on her part, and Adam followed her as they clumsily barged out of the bar.

"Late for what." She squinted in thought, her mind clouded from the alcohol in her system.

"I dunno...I think I promised I'd stay home or something. Not go out...but I did anyway." Yang shrugged carelessly,"I...I'm not that drunk. Do you think my team will notice?" He looked at her blankly before shaking his head and staggering backwards.

"N-No way." He laughed and she giggled as he put a hand on her shoulder to balance himself.

"Ooooooh good!" She cheered and he grinned before giving her a peck on her forehead. Her eyes widened as he pulled away and she grinned back at him.

"See ya Saturday...Kidddddd." He called after her as she began walking towards Beacon. She turned around and waved stupidly at him before clumsily walking down the sidewalk. It was dark out, the moon shone brightly overhead, it's scattered pieces making Yang stare up at it in awe. The blonde hummed to herself as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and smiled brilliantly at the strange man passing by her.

"Hiya!" She giggled drunkenly, not even realizing he was coming closer to her.

"Hey there baby, you walking by yourself?" He asked, she squinted at him, he was just a tall blur. Normally Yang would have smacked the shit out of someone who randomly called her baby, but this wasn't the normal Yang, this Yang was drunk and goofy.

"Mmmm yeah, I'm g-going home." She hiccuped and she noticed him slide closer to her. Her wrapped a muscular arm around her waist and Yang cringed slightly at the unwelcome gesture.

"It's not safe out here, especially at this time of night! Lemme walk you home." He offered with a sleazy grin as his other hand grabbed her free one. She frowned as they began walking, her mind foggy, her vision blurry, and her tongue thick with alcohol. She didn't realize what she was saying.

"Thanks cutie...but I should go by myself. You-You're weird." She giggled and he smiled widely at her. Lips pressing against her neck suddenly, causing a jolt to shoot through her.

"Now babe, don't be like that." He cooed as his lips moved to her jaw. She flinched away from him, eyes hardening at his advances.

"D-Don't touch me." She growled as she shoved him away. He kept his same grin on his face as she came at her again.

"Aw, I thought you liked me!" He sighed as he grabbed her waist,"I know you do!" He moved to plant a kiss on her lips and she moved her head so he kissed her cheek instead.

"Ge-Get off meh, dumb fuck." She slurred only to have his lips on hers in an instant. She let out a snarl, her drunken state fueling her anger, sharp fangs bit fiercely onto his lip making him scream and pull away. She stumbled away from him, blood coating her mouth, and he made a mad attempt to grab at her.

"Bitc-" He was silenced by a fist to the face.

* * *

Blake stood there, heaving angrily as she glowered at the man who had assaulted Yang. Her partner was leaning heavily against a nearby building, purple eyes staring at her in shock. Blake had noticed Yang's usual absence at 9:00pm and had followed her scent of smoke and gun powder. She had even waited an hour before hunting for the bezerker, hoping to catch Yang in the middle of doing what she did whenever she snuck out at night. Only to find her pressed against a building by a creep.

It made her blood boil, the man had been incessant, and Blake couldn't stand his pushiness. Is this where Yang had been going all those nights? To bars? No, the blonde didn't come back to the dorms smelling like alcohol. This man was random, they weren't dating, Yang wouldn't have reacted that way if there were. He kissed Yang, Blake wrinkled her nose in disgust, he had no right to do so.

She whirled on Yang,"What the hell were you thinking-" A blonde blur tackled her into a hug.

"Blakey!" Yang squealed in excitement,"You're my hero!" The blonde pulled away, her lips covered in blood and...a long red scratch ran from the corner of her lip to the beginning of her chin. Gently, the faunus wiped Yang's blood away and scowled at her new scar.

"How'd you get that?"

Yang stared at her blankly for a moment before giggling,"You're so cute!" She cupped Blake's face in her hands,"Ooh you're so cute! And you take such good care of me!" She sighed happily, purple eyes glistening with affection,"You're t-too good for me!" Yang slurred happily and Blake stiffened before she slapped her forehead.

"You're drunk." Of fucking course. The blonde's breath fanned over her and Blake recoiled slightly, whisky. There was also another foreign scent on Yang, the scent of a faunus, but the alcohol prevented Blake from being able to detect more from the scent.

Yang smiled mischievously,"Drunkkkkk on you." That didn't make sense,"I-I'm intoxicated by your Bellabooty!" Yang yelled before slapping her butt. Blake yelped, her face the color of Yang's eyes when she got angry, her eyebrows furrowed as she glared at Yang furiously.

"Yang! Knock that off! We need to get you home!" Blake hissed as she grabbed Yang's hand and began tugging her back towards the school. Luckily they weren't far, a mere couple blocks away from the ship that would take them back to the school. Yang laughed jovially and interlaced their fingers, Blake swore her blush didn't go away until they reached the dorm.

When Blake entered the room Yang whipped out her scroll and began typing furiously.

"Erm, Yang what are you doing?" Blake pondered as the girl gave her a noncommittal shrug. She continued typing, the tip of her tongue poking out from between her lips as she tried to concentrate. Blake huffed, the sight was sickeningly adorable as Yang wiggled her nose and bit her lip occasionally whilst typing.

Yang grinned and showed her the scroll,"Texting Pyrrha."

 _Yang: Pyrhaaaahhahahahahah let's fukkkkkkkkkk :p_

 _Yang: I fukin good kizzer! Try meh!_

Blake bit down a laugh as she ripped Yang's scroll away from her,"Dammit Yang, that's a good way to screw yourself over." Blake huffed and Yang shrugged before plopping down on Blake's bed.

"You can screw me over!" She winked before laughing giddily and looking up at the bunk above them. Blake sighed, drunk Yang=horny Yang. Nice to know. Ruby and Weiss were...come to think of it Blake didn't know where Ruby and Weiss were. Probably practicing their new team fighting skills or studying in the library.

There was a knock at the door and Yang jumped to her feet,"MINE!" She yelled, making Blake wince. The blonde flounced over to the door and threw it open,"PYRRHA!" She threw herself at the redhead who laughed heartily. They were an awkward tangle of limbs as Yang grinned up at Pyrrha, putting all her body weight on her.

"Hello to you too Yang."

"Sex!" Yang enthused and Pyrrha laughed again before shaking her head.

"Afraid not."

"Ughhhhh whyyyyyyyyy!" Yang whined and Pyrrha smiled endearingly at her, smoothing down her hair as she spoke. Blake felt something within her clench at the sight of the two's proximity but she brushed it aside.

"You're drunk, Yang." She murmured and Yang sighed as she ripped herself from Pyrrha's grasp and sauntered back over to Blake.

"Well, Blake wanttsss to sex meh." She declared before planting a kiss on Blake's cheek and falling back on Blake's bed again,"I'm tireddddddd! Blakeyyyyyy cuddle with meeeee." Yang demanded, holding her arms out like a petulant child to a blushing Blake.

A miffed Pyrrha watched the scene with narrowed eyes, clearly agitated that Yang's affections had so easily gone to Blake. The faunus felt awkward, knowing very well that the two were into each other. Seeing Yang flirt with Blake was clearly creating a bit of jealousy within Pyrrha.

Blake smiled apologetically at the green eyed girl,"Sorry about that Pyrrha-"

"It's alright, I can take over drunk Yang duty if you'd like, I know she can be a handful." Pyrrha offered with an easy going smile. Yang looked between the two thoughtfully before groaning and laying on her back. She began muttering herself quietly and looking at her hand as though seeing it for the first time.

"Fuckin awesome." She whispered faintly, and Blake suppressed a smile as she shrugged.

"Thank you Pyrrha, but I think I can manage her." Blake smiled at the warrior gratefully, and something flashed through Pyrrha's eyes, jealousy mixed with anger. Just as soon as it arrived it quickly fled and Pyrrha laughed quietly.

Blake didn't know what caused her to accept babysitting Yang. The brawler who agitated her to no end, said stupid puns, acted purely on impulse, wasn't all that logical, and was extremely childish. Thinking on it, Blake couldn't help but like the bubbly blonde.

It was inevitable. Despite all of Yang's faults, there were so many beautiful things about the girl that had drawn Blake in like a cat to tuna (hahaha). Yang was loyal, loving, open minded, easy going, accepting, undoubtably brave, and remarkably endearing.

Every person the blonde encountered, for the most part, loved her. She made everyone feel like they were special, giving people little nicknames, asking about their home lives, telling them about something embarrassing she did, or boasting about her little sister and telling them how awesome Ruby was.

People always felt connected to Yang on a personal level, when in reality, they didn't know the blonde that well. That's how good Yang was, she loved just about everyone, regardless of where they came from. And Yang had exceeded in making Blake feel carefree, she helped her forget the past that so frequently haunted her.

"If you're sure. I'll check on her in the morning. Good luck, Yang be good for Blake." Pyrrha told her sternly prompting a middle finger to appear from the blonde.

"I do what I want." She declared before laughing rambunctiously,"LOVE YOU PYRRHA BYE!" Pyrrha snorted but smiled regardless as she began to shut the door behind her.

"Love you too Yang." She murmured as she left the room. With a huff of impatience Yang got up and jumped to Blake, pulling her into her arms faster than a drunk should have been able to, and falling back onto the bed. Blake fell on top of her and squeaked in surprise, prompting a smirk from the brawler. They were nose to nose and Blake's cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

"Hey Kitten." The girl rumbled, fangs revealed themselves as she smiled brilliantly at her partner. Blake froze, briefly enraptured by Yang's tousled look. Her hair splayed out on the pillow, bright eyes gleamed with a drunken mirth, she was beautiful. Blake smiled gently at her and touched her cheek softly. She wanted to be irritated with Yang but she couldn't find the heart to do so.

"What am I going to do with you?" Blake hummed and Yang nuzzled into her hand with a warm smile.

"Kiss me?" Yang offered and Blake had to hold back a grin. What a silly girl she was.

The faunus grunted and rolled off of the playful girl,"I think I'll pass." The blonde whined in discontentment and Blake snorted,"Yang, knock it off and go to sleep." She muttered as she shut her eyes. But Yang was persistent, tugging at Blake's shirt and making the faunus annoyed enough to roll over and face the girl,"Yes?"

Yang held out her arms with wide smile,"I like holding you." She confessed and Blake smiled sheepishly at the girl's honesty. With a fake, resigned sigh, Blake tucked herself into Yang. The girl's warmth was comforting, Blake had gotten used to sleeping in the girl's arms. Yang's bed had nearly become obsolete because almost every night the blonde ended up in Blake's bed.

Blake listened to Yang's slow, steady heartbeat for a moment,"Are you ever going to tell me where you run off to?" Blake whispered and Yang exhaled deeply before pressing a kiss the faunus's forehead. Blake closed her eyes, burying herself deeper into Yang's warm embrace.

"I'll tell you everything." Yang breathed before letting out a soft yawn,"Cuz you're my kitten." Blake froze when she felt Yang slide her ribbon off and begin touching her ears. Clumsy fingers ran around furry corners, a sigh of contentment leaving Yang's lips as she gently rubbed her ears.

Blake trembled,"Y-Yang stop." She pleaded, she hated it when people touched her ears, and as though she liked Yang she wasn't ready for the blonde to be constantly toying with them. They were close but they weren't that close.

Yang paused, sobering slightly as she looked at Blake apologetically,"They're-they're just so cute." Yang mumbled and winced,"Sorry." Her bottom lip quivered making Blake's eyes widen momentarily. Was she about to cry?

Blake smiled slightly,"It's alright, it's nice to let my ears out of their bow." Only showing such optimism because drunk Yang looked close to tears. Her eyes had been watering slightly, as though if Blake got mad at her, she'd break down then and there.

Yang brightened leaned closer to Blake's face,"I like em." She planted a casual kiss on Blake's unsuspecting lips before finally falling unconscious. Blake's eye were the size of saucepans, her heart beating erratically as she looked at the now sleeping blonde.

Yang had kissed her? _It didn't mean anything, she's drunk, drunk people do dumb stuff all the time._ She brushed it off and sighed, worried about how easily she was liking Yang. Blake didn't know if she liked Yang in the attraction sense, she knew that Yang was beautiful, but she was confused about everything else. She was agitated that she was letting her guard down so easily.

She needed to distance herself, for Yang's sake.

* * *

Blake was avoiding her again. Yang didn't know what she had done, she woke up to find Blake missing from her own bed, she had left already and it was seven in the morning. Classes didn't start until nine. Yang had a shitty hangover and gone to search for Blake, only to find her outside...talking to Sun. Of course Yang tried to intervene, tried to get Blake alone, but the faunus wasn't having it.

Yang frowned,"Hey, are we still on for coffee-"

"Can't, Sun and I are going to get some breakfast. I'll see you later." Blake nodded stiffly to the blonde before walking off with that, _fucking ugly piece of shit and his motherfucking ugly ass monkey tail matched with his bitch of a personality._ In all fairness, Yang didn't know Sun, but what she did know was that piece of shit kept stealing her partner from her.

Yang couldn't believe Blake had just abandoned her like that. It made Yang feel sick to her stomach as she numbly turned away from her partner and walked back to the school. Blake brushed aside their plans as though it meant nothing. Hell, Blake hardly looked at her when she had approached the two.

Yang's head was still pounding from the night before...the night before. Shit what had she done the night before! She thought back to it, learned some sword fighting, got a gnarly scar on her lip, and went to the bar. That was all she could remember. Yang was too agitated to think about what else happened or if she had pissed Blake off in some way.

All day, Blake avoided her like the plague, even going so far as to sit next to Ruby during lunch. And, as a form of retaliation, Yang had quickly filled Blake's spot with Velvet. Engaging in more conversation with the bunny eared girl than normal. Sure she talked to Velvet a lot, but Pyrrha was doing a make up test so she was gone, and Ruby was talking to Weiss, so Yang talked animatedly with Velvet the entire lunch.

"Geez I love your ears!" Yang hummed,"Can I touch them?" Velvet blushed and nodded, Yang reached up and stroked an ear before grinning widely,"Now I know why you were named Velvet." She joked,"You just have some baller ears..." She complimented again.

Velvet chuckled,"You're the best, Yang. You've really helped me become more confident as a faunus!" The brunette said excitedly and Yang grinned, genuinely happy that Velvet felt better about herself.

"I'm glad! Be proud of your lovely ears! They're beautiful!" Yang cheered, and while she was being serious, she was happy to be getting a rise out of Blake.

Yang was in no way attempting to flirt with Velvet and Velvet didn't have a crush on Yang. (Shocking I know) Velvet had a crush on some chick named Coco who, by her descriptions provided by Velvet, seemed pretty cool. But Yang did succeed in pissing Blake off.

The cat faunus was all but glowering at her opened book. Clearly not reading, and clearly agitated at Velvet and Yang's interaction.

"You're just really cool, Velvet. Anytime you're around, you've got me _hopping_ with joy." Yang joked and Velvet sighed before shaking her head.

"Yang...don't."

The blonde grinned sheepishly,"Too much?"

Velvet laughed,"It's always too much...but I've grown to like it...sometimes."

Yang grinned widely,"Glad to know, Kit." Kit, a name that referred to baby bunnies, and was extremely similar to kitten. Blake got up abruptly and left, leaving a smirking Yang behind.

Yang was going out of her way to piss off Blake. That's what the girl deserved after leaving her for Sun.

"Yang, what was that about?" Weiss questioned suspiciously and the blonde shrugged carelessly.

"Don't know, don't care, hey Ruby." Yang changed the topic quickly,"I'm coming with you on your trip." _To Summer's grave._ She wasn't planning to go at first, opting to study with Blake than be reminded of what caused the destruction of their family. And Yang wasn't blaming Summer for her family's malfunction...she was blaming her killer.

Should she feel bad about blowing Blake off without telling her? Nope. Blake _left her_ , for someone else, and there was nothing that angered Yang more.

Ruby smiled softly,"That'd be great."

* * *

 _"Momma, when are you coming back?" Yang asked curiously as she clutched Summer Rose's leg. Large, purple eyes looked up to meet warm grey ones. The white cloak was being tugged on by seven year old Ruby who was looking up at her mother in adoration and giggling._

 _Summer smiled lovingly at Yang,"Don't worry my little dragon, I'll be home soon." Yang heard the audible crack in Summer's voice and saw the way her eyes glazed over with unshed tears. Auburn hair was covered by a white hood but little strands had poked out. Ever since Yang could remember, she believed her mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. She still did._

 _Yang looked at her mother in confusion,"Why are you crying?" She asked and Summer smiled sadly at her, no longer trying to fight the tears as they flowed freely down her cheeks._

 _"I just love you so much, baby, it makes me cry sometimes." Summer laughed softly before sweeping the nine year old into her arms,"Oh my dragon, may you always be strong and happy." Yang beamed merrily at her mother. For Summer, she'd always be strong and happy, for Summer she'd do anything._

 _"I'll see you soon, little dragon...you take good care of your father and sister for me until I see you again, alright?" At time time Yang hadn't known how Summer avoided saying 'when I come home', she was to young to notice the pain in those beautiful grey eyes that Ruby had inherited, and she thought little of her mother's tight embrace that lasted far longer than it normally did._

 _Yang wiped the woman's tears away and smiled at her,"I'll always take care of Ruby and dad!" She declared whilst puffing out her chest. At the time she had thought it was strange for her mother to be asking her to take care of her father. He was a grown up, surely he could take care of himself. Damn, she had been so naive._

 _Summer kissed her forehead gently,_ _"I know you will." She said softly before putting Yang down and picking up Ruby who squealed in delight,"And as for you, baby girl, you be good for Yang okay? She's gonna take care of you until I see you again." Summer said sternly but smiled at her daughter nonetheless._

 _"I'll be the best sister ever!"_ _Ruby cheered while nodding vigorously._

 _Summer gave her a kiss on the forehead before setting her down,"I know you will. Goodbye you two, I love you. I know it may feel like I'm gone for a long time...but mommy is always with you...okay?" She murmured lovingly, Yang came from behind Ruby and wrapped her arms around her sister, resting her chin upon the seven year old's hair._

 _Yang's eyebrows shot upwards,"Wait! You gotta pinkie swear that you'll be back," Yang held up her tiny pinkie,"just like you and dad always do!" Summer looked like she was about to burst into tears as she looked at her daughter's raised pinkies. Their faces beaming with confidence and assurance as she knelt down and wrapped both of their pinkies with her own two._

 _"I pinkie swear...that you'll see me again." Yang now knew that Summer meant in death. Damn her childish innocence, damn her terrible perception, and damn her lack of comprehension._

 _"Okay! Love you momma!" Yang hollered with a fanged grin._

 _Ruby smiled as well,"Love you mommy! See you soon!"_

 _Summer swallowed thickly and gave a cheery smile through her tears,"I love you babies...and yes...you'll see me soon." Yang didn't know that was her way of saying goodbye...she didn't know that Summer had already known and accepted her fate. The two girls watched their mother walk out of the door, smiling as her cape billowed in the breeze._

 _Summer left. She left for good. Yang remembered hearing the news, her father had told her, she didn't believe him at first. Summer Rose was Yang's superhero, she was indestructible, she was amazing, she was the best of the best. There was no way she could have died._

 _"She's not dead!" Yang had screamed, her eyes flashing a bright red,"You're stupid! I don't like your joke!" She snapped viciously at her father who only stared at her blankly. His face void of all emotion as he looked at her with slumped shoulders, his head drooped, and his eyes filled with immense grief and anger._

 _"Yang, Summer...she's gone-"_

 _"She'll be back!" Yang declared,"She said she'd be back, she pinkie swore!" Yang held up her pinkie and Taiyang balled his hands into fists._

 _"Listen to me-"_

 _"NO! You listen to me!" She sassed back,"Momma is coming home-"_

 _"YANG XIAO LONG!" Her father bellowed, making the blonde freeze in terror,"You listen to me right now, you hear? Your mother is gone...she died! I wouldn't joke about this." He laughed hysterically as tears streamed down his cheeks. He turned to a wall and slammed his fist into it,"She was killed! She was taken from us!" He had created a hole in the wall, her ripped his fist out and turned to his terrified daughter._

 _He sank to his knees, he buried his face in his hands,"She was taken from us." He repeated brokenly,"She was taken from me." Yang slowly backed away from him, eyes welling with tears._

 _"No...dad...she can't be." It was all too much. Yang couldn't fathom life without Summer,"Mom-"_

 _Taiyang laughed bitterly, looking up at his daughter with anger,"She wasn't your real mother." He growled before shaking his head,"Your real mother left us when you were a baby." Yang felt as though the wind was knocked out of her, her tears falling faster,"And now...Summer left us too." Her father croaked as sobs wracked his body as he buried his face in his hands once again._

 _Yang, even at the age of nine, knew her father was just upset. But it hadn't taken the malice out of his words or the unfathomable hatred out of his eyes as he looked at her angrily. Yang fought back a scream as she slowly put a hand on her father's shoulder. His broken sobs ceased._

 _All Yang wanted was a hug. One measly hug. She wanted to cry and scream and mourn Summer's death. She wanted to know who her real mother was. She wanted to be cared for as she tried to comprehend the fact that she'd never see Summer again. But she had to check on Ruby, she had to make sure her dad would be there for the both of them._

 _She was near hysterics,"Dad-"_

 _"Leave me alone." He said softly,"Just...just get out of here." Baffled Yang stood, frozen as a statue, her hand slipped from his shoulder as more tears fell._

 _"Dad?" She croaked, snot was dripping down her nose at this point, her legs were trembling and she had trouble standing. The weight of the situation finally struck her. Summer was dead._

 _"Leave!" He shrieked in acrimony, startling the nine year old, she bolted out of the room. She never did get that hug she always wanted, nor did she get to properly shed all the tears that she needed to._

 _Her heart felt heavy as she stumbled upon Ruby, staring at the door. Trying to wipe away her tears and snot, Yang went over to her sister who sat on her knees and stared straight ahead._

 _Without a word, Yang wrapped her arms around Ruby's torso, she buried her face in the girl's auburn colored hair. More tears leaked from Yang's eyes as she pulled Ruby closer to her._

 _"When is mommy coming home, Yang?" Ruby questioned softly, causing more tears from Yang to fall, effectively soaking some of her sister's hair._

 _"...Mom died." She breathed, a sob threatened to escape her throat but she concealed it._

 _Death was a foreign subject to the seven year old,"Died?" She didn't really comprehend it, hell, Yang barely did either. All she knew was that Summer was gone and she wasn't coming back._

 _"She's uh...she's sleeping." Yang sniffled as she rested her chin atop Ruby's hair._

 _"...When will she wake up?" Ruby asked, frustrated with not knowing where her mother was._

 _"Well" Yang murmured,"When people sleep like momma is right now...they don't wake up." She didn't know how else to explain death, but Ruby seemed to get the jest of it, she wasn't going to see her mother again._

 _"Why can't we go wake her up! I want to see mommy!" She demanded angrily and Yang held onto her tighter, wondering how she was supposed to take care of Ruby all by herself. They were both just kids._

 _"We can't wake her up, Ruby." Yang whispered,"That would be rude...momma's been awake for a long time...she needs her rest." Yang choked out, grief beginning to devour her, but somehow she pushed it away._

 **"May you always be strong and happy."** _Yang from then on pledged to be strong and happy as often as she could. She now knew why her mother said this to her specifically, because for Ruby and her father...she had to be the strong and happy one._

 _"That's not fair!" Tears were streaming down the child's face at this point,"I want to see her!" She screamed lividly, she tired to yank herself from Yang's grasp but the blonde held on tight._

 _Yang smiled brokenly as she kissed the top of Ruby's forehead...just like Summer had always done,"It's okay," Yang hushed,"she's only sleeping, Ruby. She's only sleeping." Ruby looked up at her with wide, tearfilled, eyes. Not sure what to think._

 _"She's only sleeping is all." The blonde repeated numbly, wishing she could believe it herself as more tears streamed down her cheeks like waterfalls._

Yang hugged her knees to her chest tightly as she stared at Summer's gravestone. Ruby sat beside her, talking animatedly about their time in Beacon to their deceased mother. Yang, enraptured in her memories, hadn't realized she was crying until an alarmed Ruby grabbed her hand.

"Yang?" In sheer humiliation, Yang wiped her tears away hastily, gritting her teeth as she did so.

"Sorry." She mumbled, fighting back her emotional turmoil.

Ruby looked at her sadly, damn, she looked so much like Summer,"Yang, you know it's okay to cry, you don't always have to be strong around me...you took care of me when were were kids. You can cry now if you want." She said gently and Yang shook her head angrily, disgusted by her own weakness. She didn't think crying was weak, just not in front of Ruby.

The grey eyed girl had always seen Yang as her rock, Ruby depended on Yang's strength, what did her baby sister think of her now? The brawler had to be strong, for Ruby, for Summer, for Taiyang. But right now, she didn't feel strong, she felt hollow.

"I'm fine."

"Yang-"

"I said I'm fine!" She snapped and Ruby looked at her wide eyed, a look of hurt marred her features, Yang's bottom lip quivered and she squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. She wouldn't cry, she refused to do so, she hadn't cried any other time she visited Summer's gravestone so why now of all times? It was physically painful to keep all her grief bottled up for all these years. It tore at her chest, it made her head hurt, it made her eyes burn.

"Shit." Yang breathed,"I'm really not fine." She croaked, tears flooding down her cheeks,"I'm really...really sad." She confessed as she looked at the grave,"God, why isn't she here? Why'd she have to leave us, Ruby? Why does it hurt so bad?" Yang whimpered as she buried her face in her hands, sobs wracked her body, it terrified her. She didn't know where these emotions were coming from.

Slender arms wrapped around her,"I don't know Yang." Ruby was crying now as well,"I don't know and I'm sorry...thank you for taking care of me...I know mom would be proud." She whispered and Yang cried even harder. A suffocating weight finally lifted from Yang's chest.

She finally got that hug, she finally got to mourn, she finally released all those grief filled tears. And damn, was it an even better feeling than she could have ever imagined.

 **Poorly edited so my apologies. I'll come back and fix it later cuz I'm tired.**

 **There will be more Yang and Blake interactions with other characters I swear, I just wanted to get them a bit more established with one another first.**

 **There will be hella fighting in the next chapter so woot woot!**

 **And fuck Sun for being a cockblock. Okay, tbh I don't hate Sun...he's just always in the damn way, like...STAY IN YOUR LANE! Alright, so thanks to all you lovely followers and reviewers.**

 **This chapter was a wee bit harder to write due to all the intense emotions so I'm sorry if I botched some of the characters.**


	5. Chapter 5

Yang laughed loudly as she spun Ruby with one hand and Weiss with the other. The music played softly in their room and Yang was enthralled by the simplicity of it all. She usually preferred loud music with sporadic dancers making up the club floor, she loved the thump of the base even though it pierced her ears, and she loved the flashing lights that lit up the usually dark club. But this was nice too.

Blake sat upon her bed, reading and watching the girls dance with disinterest. She was still avoiding Yang and it had been a week. Whilst the blonde should be worried, she wasn't, she was dismissive about her behavior...Yang had gotten rather good at lying to herself.

Simply dancing with her baby sister and Weiss was rather relaxing. Even Weiss looked happy as she gave Yang a wide smile along with an eye roll, pretending to be annoyed. Doing another spin, Weiss kicked her foot into the air, in rhythm with the song. She then pulled away from the two and danced by herself, eyes closed, and a content smile on her face.

Yang let go of her sister's hand with a chuckle,"Okay Weiss! Didn't know an Ice Queen could dance!" She teased gently as she flashed Ruby a sly wink, her sister blushed and glared at her in return. Ruby had a crush on Weiss, and while Yang had been pissed about it at first, she realized that Weiss genuinely cared about her sister.

Weiss scowled at her,"Yeah? Better than you!" The white haired girl challenged,"I was in ballet for years!"

Ruby's eyes widened,"Really! Ooh that's so cool!" She gushed,"I can't dance at all, would you teach me ballet sometime?" She asked earnestly with wide eyes, Yang fought back a grin, damn her sis was smooth.

Weiss looked baffled, eyes widened in disbelief and a reddish tint struck her cheeks,"Erm, sure...if you'd like." She then turned to Yang,"As for you, brute, I suspect you can't dance to save your life." She snorted,"You're tall and clumsy, just like Ruby minus the height part."

"Hey! I'm as tall as you are!" Ruby yelled indignantly, grey eyes narrowing, making Yang laugh.

"Don't be hating on your troll species, Weiss, because when all the giants like me turn on you inferior beings," She pounced on an unsuspecting Ruby who squealed when Yang threw her onto her shoulder,"no one will save you!" She laughed manically as Ruby beat on her back. She heard Blake give a muffled laugh behind her hand and, to Yang's anger, her heart swelled at the sound.

"Yang put me down!" She cried,"You're embarrassing me!" Weiss let out an outraged huff.

"I am NOT a troll!" She sniffed as she crossed her arms over her chest,"And you're just trying to distract from the fact that you can't dance!" She declared and Yang's eyes narrowed as she set Ruby down. Her sister was red in the face and glowering at her while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Bully." She muttered and Yang paused her glaring at Weiss to pull the grumbling Ruby into her side. She peppered her head with kisses and ruffled her hair, making Ruby groan.

"Would a bully show you such love!" Yang cooed and Ruby grumbled but allowed herself to lean into Yang's side. Placing a final kiss on her beloved sister's temple, Yang pulled away and looked at Weiss challengingly.

Yang smirked at the battle Weiss had started,"Oh? That's real cute Weissy," Yang knew Weiss's nickname agitated Blake, calling Weiss- Weissy, just like Yang had called Blake- Blakey. "I don't need ballet to beat you, because I know club dancing, and trust me when I say that I can dance." Yang's smirk broadened as Weiss narrowed her eyes.

* * *

Blake watched as Yang smirked at Weiss, the girls at a standoff, an upbeat song came on and the blonde's smirk only broadened.

Blake missed Yang. The blonde had become perfectly content with ignoring her and finding other people to spend her time with. If anything the faunus had only pushed Yang and Weiss closer and pulled herself away from everyone in the group. Yang had tried a plethora of times to get Blake to come back, to be happy, to lighten up. But Blake wouldn't allow herself to do so.

She was busy, not only was she staying up late in the library to find out answers about the White Fang, she also needed to make sure Yang didn't know the truth about her. She didn't want Yang to hate her, even though she was constantly ignoring the blonde, Yang still didn't look down upon her for that.

She hated that. Yang would still flash a smile her way, squeeze her hand when she needed comfort, and brought her food when she was staying up too late trying to find out information. Blake now had dark circles under her eyes, and the only reason she was searching for the White Fang was because Ruby called a mandatory team bonding day.

Despite all this...Blake knew she was losing Yang's patience. Yang was giving her less smiles, keeping away from her as often as she could, and when she gave Blake food she didn't smile or say a word...she just dropped it and left. Blake curled into herself as she thought of their distance from one another, it made her heart ache, she didn't deserve any kindness that Yang gave her. And it scared her knowing that said kindness was running out, but Blake deserved it.

Turning her attention back to Yang and Weiss, she noticed the blonde smiling widely, and immediately began dancing. Hips swaying with the beat. Her arms and body moved fluently, her dance movement had a flamboyant nature to it. Clearly she had been doing this a lot. She closed her eyes and Blake fought back a blush and tried to tear her eyes off the brawler.

Yang was wearing a tight tank top and short shorts. The girl wasn't modest about what she wore, but with a body like hers- _shut up Blake._ She berated herself as she sighed audibly. Suddenly the base dropped, and as it did, Yang winked at Weiss and throwing herself into the air and spinning into a front flip. She landed in a splits position and threw her hands up in the air, giving jazz hands as she stuck her tongue out to a annoyed Weiss.

"Suck it, Schnee!" She declared as she stood up, rhythm still pumping slightly, Yang took a step towards the white haired girl. Suddenly she yelped, tripping and slamming into the heiress. They both fell to the ground, Weiss shrieking in surprise and rage while Yang was laughing heartily. The blonde was laying on top of the girl who was extremely flustered.

Their noses were touching and Yang gave her a fanged smile,"You're hot Weiss, but you're not my type." Yang shrugged as she stood to her feet and pulled Weiss up along with her.

Weiss huffed before crossing her arms over her chest,"Same here, brute."

Yang laughed,"So you think I'm hot! I'm flattered princess-" A loud ring sounded and Yang looked around for her scroll. She had set it on Weiss's bed, picking it up she looked at the caller ID with a grin. _Gingersnap._

She answered,"What's up?" There was a low, muffled voice on the other end of the line and Blake tried to listen, but he was speaking so quietly.

Yang paused and frowned as she sat on Weiss's bed,"I told you I couldn't go tonight...yeah...I'm hanging out with my team!" She huffed and suddenly a blush appeared on my face,"No...I'm...no there's no alcohol!" She snapped and Ruby looked at her with wide eyes.

"Who-?" She began only for Yang to erupt in laughter.

"Oh fuck off...I don't want...ah fuck. C'mon!" Yang groaned with gritted teeth,"I don't want to meet...fine...fine! I'll meet her. Yeah...okay." A resigned sigh escaped her lips as she laid back on Weiss's bed,"Yeah, fuck you too. See you later." Hanging up her scroll Yang sighed loudly before sitting up. Annoyance brimmed in her eyes but quickly vanished when she saw Blake looking hat her intensely.

"Who were you talking to?" Blake asked suspiciously and she knew it was a bad move.

Yang scowled, eyes darkening considerably,"Like you give a shit-"

Ruby frowned and interjected quickly,"What is going on between you two? You guys used to be close and now..." She trailed off and Weiss spoke up.

"I don't know what's going on, and I don't care, the reason you two are fighting is your guy's business. But it's affecting the team, Ruby and I will go, you two need to work this out by the time we get back. We'll give you thirty minutes, and if you haven't worked it out then..." She trailed off in thought,"we're locking both of you in here until you do. So get it together." She growled, blue eyes flashing menacingly before she looked at Ruby.

"Let's let them talk." She grabbed their team leader's hand, making both of them blush, before tugging her out of the room. Once the door shut behind them, Blake swallowed thickly and glared at the ground.

She heard Yang get up and walk to the door,"You heard what they said-" She began and Yang whirled on her.

"I don't care. I'd rather be anywhere else right now, than be in the same room with you." Her voice cracked and Blake looked at her in surprise, knowing she didn't mean that. Yang's eyes were red, her hands balled into fists, and her breathing was heavy as she tried to calm herself.

Blake grimaced, she couldn't keep doing this to her, she couldn't keep avoiding her partner,"Yang I-"

"I don't want to hear that you're sorry!" Yang snapped,"Because obviously you aren't! If you were sorry you'd stop...stop doing this shit to me!" The blonde growled as she shook her head,"But no, you're being a little bitch about it. Fuck you." Blake felt her anger spike, though Yang's anger was justified, she wasn't okay with being talked to in such a manner.

Jumping to her feet she got in Yang's face,"I'm doing what I do, for a damn good reason-"

"Oh, leaving me for Sun is a good reason?" Yang shoved her roughly making Blake stumble backwards,"Leaving me for 'research' is a good reason?" Another shove,"Leaving me...just leaving me without a real reason as to why? That's okay with you?" Yang snarled, all her pent up anger unleashing itself on an unsuspecting Blake.

Blake's eyes widened, she knew what this was about, it all trickled down to Tukson's words. He spoke so harshly of her mother's abandonment, the reaction it evoked from Yang, not anger but sheer sorrow and confusion. Her eyes had been so dull that day, her inner fire had temporarily been extinguished, all her confidence had vanished. Abandonment was a big deal for Yang.

Even now as the faunus noticed her companion trembling with rage, she saw an underlying fear behind those crimson iris's, she saw how Yang's composure was shaken. Shoulders slumped slightly, jaw clenched with an effort to remain angry, and her gaze on Blake wavering as she tried to hold back her insecurities.

Blake softened instantly, realizing how she was affecting Yang,"Yang-"

"No! No apologies! Just...just shut up!" Yang tugged at her hair in distress,"You apologized last time...but then you did it again!" She cried in acrimony as she released her golden locks and balled her hands into fists.

Blake took a hesitant step forward,"Your mother, when she left-" Yang shook her head angrily, stepping away from her partner.

"Blake stop-"

Blake reached out and cupped Yang's cheeks,"Yang please listen to me. I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to be like this." Blake murmured as she stepped closer, keeping Yang's face between her hands. Blood colored eyes looked at her with a broken expression as she looked at Blake numbly.

"Then what did you want?" She asked thickly, trying to hold back her emotions.

Blake squeezed her eyes shut and let out a soft sigh,"I...I was scared. I still am, I'm scared of being so close to you-" That was all Yang needed to hear before shoving her away angrily.

"I don't know if you know this, Blake, but I need you. You've been ignoring me for about two weeks...because you're scared?" Yang laughed cruelly and shook her head,"No, you didn't leave me because you were scared, you left me because you're selfish." Blake's patience had immediately vanished as Yang lashed out at her.

"Oh I'm selfish, just like your mom...right?" Blake spat, taking a menacing step closer,"Because that's who you're comparing me too. Your mom, who left you-"

Yang was shaking in rage at this point,"You don't know a damn thing. Why don't you keep running, huh? With that bitch of a faunus you call your friend, I'm sure you and Sun can go be all happy with Tukson!" Yang said hysterically,"And all you purebreds can go join the White Fang. I'm sure you're familiar enough with them." She snarled snidely and Blake felt her own anger grow as she felt her hands from fists.

"Don't speak of what you don't understand." Blake hissed and Yang smirked audaciously at her.

"Oh? What are you going to do about it? Run?" She mocked,"Go run away, just like you always do." Yang sneered disdainfully making Blake grit her teeth. She knew why Yang was being so cruel, and maybe Blake did deserve this treatment, but it didn't make the truth in her words any less painful.

"Fuck you." Blake growled and Yang took another step closer, same damn smirk on her lips.

"Oh but you've already have, haven't you? Well, you've fucked me over at least. I don't know a damn thing about you except all you excel at is running. Like a coward-" A fist sent Yang flying into the wall. Yang slammed into wall but managed to land on her feet. Golden locks covered her face as she stood there stiffly.

Blake looked at her fist in shock, shit, had she done that? Things weren't supposed to get so out of hand. Blake was supposed to have a better rein on her emotions. She shouldn't have lashed out like that, no matter how infuriating Yang was.

Blake's eyes widened,"Yang...I'm sorry-" The blonde launched herself at the faunus and tackled her. They crashed onto the floor, Yang raining heavy blows on Blake's torso, never once touching her face. Blake didn't know why she held back and she didn't care. Blake was winded, but managed to grab both of Yang's flying fists, red eyes clashed with dark amber ones.

Suddenly a staff smacked into Yang's face, making her head slam into the wall. With a curse she slumped off Blake and the faunus's eyes widened. She looked up to see a livid Sun, holding his staff, poised to strike. Her anger grew at this, she was sick of Sun meddling in her business, he had no right to touch Yang. Yang. Her concern for the girl grew as she stumbled to her feet.

However, Yang was standing. Blood pooled from her mouth as her eyes darkened at the sight of Sun. She was weaponless but didn't even look at her gauntlets laying on Weiss's bed, her hate filled gaze met Sun's.

"I was wondering when your little bitch would show up." Yang laughed, spitting blood onto the floor, a large red mark on her cheek from where Sun struck her,"Gotta say, Sun, it's a little creepy that you stalk Blake so much." Yang rolled her shoulders, preparing to fight him.

Sun let out a growl,"Leave her alone. Just chill out and stop this, Yang, without your weapons you can't beat us. So just stop okay?" He asked, trying to diffuse the situation but only worsened it.

Yang smirked as her claws unsheathed and she bared her teeth making Sun's eyes widen,"I'm still better than you in every way possible, you thick fuck." She laughed as she launched herself at him. Blake knew she couldn't stop this fight, Yang was going to demolish Sun.

Blake watched in horror as Sun swung at Yang's face. The brawler was extremely quick, ducking with ease and scoring her claws across Sun's exposed abdomen. He yelped and before he could move, canines latched themselves into his arm.

He screamed and swung blindly, striking Yang in the stomach. She whimpered in pain, eyes watering slightly as she jumped backwards, blood adorning her lips and staining her clothes. With a ragged breath she shook off the pain. Her semblance flaring as her eyes darkened and a smirk adorned her lips.

She swept at his legs and he jumped over them with ease. But this is what Yang wanted. Midair, her hand came flying and she grabbed his neck and slammed him into the ground. He yelped in pain as she delivered a sharp kick to his ribs and an audible crack was heard. Yang grabbed him by his jacket with a snarl and hauled him to his feet. Blood coated her canines and crimson stained her yellow tank top.

Sun resembled a wilted flower. His head slumped in pain and he struggled to stand on his own as Yang let him go. He leaned heavily against the bunkbed as blood oozed from his mouth.

Yang stood tall,"I may hate your guts, but I don't want to kill you, so get the fuck out. What's going on between Blake and I, is none of your business." Yang warned and Sun shook his head meekly as he cradled his arm close to him. Yang covered her stomach with her free hand and gritted her teeth as she blinked rapidly, no doubt suffering large amounts of head injuries.

Blake shook her head at him,"Sun, leave, and stay out of my business. I don't need your help, you had no right to intervene." She hissed angrily, making him flinch in surprise at her tone of voice.

"I just wanted to help-" Blake knew he meant well, but he had no business here, he shouldn't be interfering or even touching Yang. Just because he liked her didn't mean he could follow her around like a lost puppy. Blake liked her privacy and didn't feel the least bit sorry for Sun.

"Go away, helping doesn't involve harming Yang, get out." Blake growled, seeing betrayal flicker through his eyes as he limped towards the window.

Yang smirked triumphantly,"And stay out, or I'll rip your tail off." He glowered at her before vanishing, leaving Blake and Yang alone once again. Blake turned to the blonde to see her cursing, blood had soaked through her clothes and stained her tank top. Blake began to panic as she rushed towards her.

"Yang w-what's going on!" She stammered as the blonde slumped to the floor.

Yang let out a ragged breath,"Just...get me my sewing kit, in the drawer." She rasped while tilting her head back and gritting her teeth. Blake shook her head.

"We need to get you to a nurse-"

"No!" Yang panicked, eyes filled with fear,"Sewing kit, quick." Blake cursed and retrieved her sewing kit, placing it in her lap, she sprinted to the bathroom and got a wet washcloth. When she came back in, Yang had ripped her shirt off, Blake's cheeks turned a bright red at the sight.

A toned abdomen was riddled with faint and scars. And whilst attractive, Blake noticed the large stab wound in Yang's stomach. It had been stitched up but the wound had reopened. Yang let out another curse as she took the needle and thread and began re-stitching the wound.

Blake knelt down beside her and, with the warm washcloth, began to wipe the blood off the girl's mouth and cheeks. Yang kept her focused gaze on the task at hand, eyes reverting back to their beautiful lilac color. Blake noticed Yang's calmness and proficiency at sewing herself up...she was used to it.

"I...I've missed you." Blake murmured as she continued wiping the blood off the girl's skin. Touching her cheek gently, Blake noticed Yang's wince, a bruise forming where Blake had struck her and another on her jaw from Sun's staff.

Purple eyes met hers and a small smile appeared,"...I've missed you too, Blakey." She mumbled as her eyes flickered to the girl's upper chest, where she had punched her several times,"I uh...I'm sorry about your chest." Yang sighed and Blake chuckled, the pain had already began subsiding.

"I'm the one who punched your face...why'd you hold back?" She questioned as Yang turned her attention to her stitching.

With red cheeks, Yang mumbled,"Didn't wanna hurt your face...much too pretty for some scars and bruises." She then winked at Blake before grabbing her scissors and snipping the string. With a relieved sigh Blake rolled her eyes before running her thumb over the now white, long scar that ran down the corner of Yang's mouth.

"Hmm...you know, I really don't deserve you as a partner." Blake confessed,"You're so...good to me. And I'm terrible at relationships." She sighed and Yang looked at her sadly.

"What I said earlier-"

"Was completely true." Blake admitted,"I hate how easily I've come to trust you...I have trust issues, but you've made it so easy. You're so genuine...my last partner..." She trailed off, terrible memories slamming into her mind. A gentle hand cupped the back of her neck and pulled her down. Soft lips pressed against her forehead, Blake shut her eyes and leaned into Yang, warmth erupting from her chest.

"Let's not talk about it now. C'mon, Kitten, I dunno about you...but I'm beat! Get it, beat!" Yang joked as she clambered to her feet slowly, letting a small whimper to escape her lips, still only wearing a bra because fabric would only hurt her wound more.

Blake looked at her worriedly,"Yang, please, tell me where you're going at night. How do you get these?" Yang only smiled down at her and kissed her forehead again, being blatantly evasive.

"I'm gonna read you Goodnight Moon, and we're going to sleep, I'm tired and I know you are too." Yang interlaced their fingers and pulled them to Blake's bed,"And when we wake up, you can tell me what you've been up to." Yang grinned before pausing and looking at Blake seriously,"And I want to you promise me something."

Blake nodded slowly, frustrated with Yang changing the subject so easily,"What?"

"Promise me you won't...leave me like that again...pinkie promise." Yang held up her free hand and extended her pinkie,"Be warned, that only in death can you break this promise." Yang grinned widely and Blake chuckled quietly as she interlocked their pinkies.

"I pinkie promise I won't leave you."

"Till death do us part." Yang winked,"Man we'd have hot kids." She said offhandedly making them both blush. Yang coughed awkwardly before settling in Blake's bed. The cat faunus laid her head in her lap, knowing her stomach was in pain. Yang smiled and pulled out Goodnight Moon.

While reading, Yang had unwrapped Blake's ribbon, Blake stiffened but didn't oppose when Yang began petting her ears. Scratching them softly, Yang continued to read, a low humming sound erupted from Blake and the faunus felt too peaceful to be embarrassed about her strange purr of contentment. Her ears were always sensitive and Yang scratching them felt nice. Blake knew how much Yang adored her ears.

Thinking of it, Blake realized that Yang openly voiced what she enjoyed about her quite frequently. Blake thought of the blonde, focusing on her voice and steady heartbeat. _Thump...thump...thump._ A soft sight escaped her as she turned to face Yang who kept rubbing her ears.

Purple eyes were trained on her, she had the book memorized, and was just staring at Blake with a small smile on her lips. Blake blushed, flustered under her intense gaze, with a wink Yang looked back at the book. Blake watched in her in slight fascination and adoration.

Why did Yang make her feel...so happy? Blake found herself reaching up and gently grabbing Yang's hand, making her stop reading.

"Tell me about yourself as a kid." Blake murmured as she snuggled closer to Yang. The blonde smiled gently at her before looking up at the top bunk and leaning her head against the wall. Closing the book she set it down before entangling one hand into Blake's hair and continuing to rub her ears with the other.

Blake felt a tingle run up her spine and a content feeling washed over her. She wondered if Yang had spots she liked to be scratched due to her lion genetics.

"Hmmm...well I was born in a small town called Patch. There wasn't much to it but a beautiful beach, that's where Ruby, dad, and Summer-" She abruptly stopped, her jaw clenched, and she swallowed thickly,"I...that's where Ruby and I played all the time when we lived there." Blake looked at Yang curiously.

"If you don't mind me asking...Summer...she's Ruby's brith mother correct?" Blake asked and Yang nodded, looking down at the faunus.

"Yeah, she was, she was pretty incredible." A faint smile played on Yang's lips,"She'd always read us Goodnight Moon before bed, and sing us a lullaby." Yang murmured dreamily with a wry smile on her lips,"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about Summer. I consider her my mother, I always will." Her eyes flickered towards Blake and her smile broadened slightly,"She made the best cookies, after she died, I could never bake the cookies good enough for Ruby. I was never good at baking or cooking, I'm still not." Yang chuckled as her slim fingers combed through Blake's hair.

Blake smiled softly at the girl,"She sounds amazing." Seeing Yang so relaxed and happy about sharing her past made Blake happy as well. She had missed Yang immensely, the blonde was like her own personal ray of sunshine, no matter how annoying she could be...she was always brightening Blake's day.

Yang grinned,"She was. My biological mother, Raven, left my dad and I after giving birth to me. My dad told me of her after Summer died. He was so sad after she died, we all were, but he took her death the hardest. He fell into a deep depression so I had to raise Ruby. Qrow would be around sometimes and help out, but he was always sent on missions, Qrow is a great uncle." Yang quieted making Blake look at her curiously, the blonde was looking at her intensely, soft eyes searching her face momentarily before smiling.

Blake narrowed her eyes suspiciously,"What?"

Yang shrugged, eyes alight with mirth,"Tell me about your life before Beacon." She encouraged and Blake froze up, her eyes widening slightly, she couldn't tell Yang all the horrible things she's done, she couldn't risk severing their friendship in such a way. What would the blonde think of her? Yang had to have had her limits when it came to atrocities committed, and Blake was sure that she had already surpassed them.

Blake looked at Yang defiantly,"I'll tell you if you tell me where you're sneaking off to at night." She challenged and the brawler's smile faltered slightly, she looked far away as she stared at Blake, clearly lost in a memory. Blake noticed the corner of Yang's mouth twitch, wherever the blonde was going, it was clearly making her happy. Yang opened her mouth before closing it again and shrugging.

Yang grinned,"You ever gonna tell me what happened the night I got plastered?" That obviously wasn't what Yang was about to say, the girl was changing the subject. Blake was growing frustrated at the girl's evasive nature but she decided to let it slide, Yang never pressed her for information and Blake would respect Yang's privacy as well...for now.

Blake gave a small smirk and rolled with it,"Well, you first slapped my ass and said you were intoxicated by my Bellabooty." Blake huffed dryly and Yang laughed loudly, unashamed by her actions as she grinned mischievously at Blake.

"Can you blame me, you've got one hell of an ass, Belladonna." Blake blushed and glared at the smug brawler.

"You fiend." She huffed and Yang laughed once again,"You also texted Pyrrha, asking for sex."

"Accurate."

"She showed up at our door, again you asked for sex-"

"Did it happen!" Yang asked excitedly.

Blake looked at her in disbelief,"No!"

"Fuck!"

Blake rolled her eyes at Yang's childish mannerisms,"You then said I'd have sex with you-"

"...did you?"

"NO!"

Yang sighed in despair,"A girl can dream!"

Blake rolled her eyes,"Then you kissed my cheek, effectively pissing Pyrrha off, before throwing yourself on my bed and demanding I cuddle with you...then you...uh...kissed me before going to sleep." Blake stammered in sheer embarrassment as Yang looked at her in surprise.

"I did, did I?" Oh no, Blake knew that tone of voice. She sat up and turned to Yang, watching her suspiciously as the blonde smiled evilly at her.

"Yes you did." Blake grumbled and Yang got closer to her, they were nose to nose, but Blake refused to surrender and move away.

"Like this?" She pecked Blake on the lips before pulling away with a smirk. Blake looked at her, baffled, before mentally screaming curse words. Yang was just screwing with her, the kiss didn't mean anything. Well two could play at that game.

Blake shrugged,"Nah, more like this." She snatched the collar of Yang's shirt and slammed their lips together. Yang stiffened in surprise before sighing and relaxing into the kiss. Blake leaned into Yang, she secretly loved everything about the kiss, Yang was warm and secure and Blake felt like her heart was about to explode from the joy of it all.

Blake coaxed her tongue in Yang's mouth making the blonde groan. And then, Blake gave a small shove to Yang's shoulders, making the girl topple off the bed. Yang yelped as she fell on her butt and looked at Blake in shock and disbelief, she licked her bruised lips and scowled while Blake laughed heartily at her.

"That's what you get!" Blake laughed loudly as she rolled on her back, grinning like an idiot. She kissed Yang Xiao Long. And holy shit was it something...she frowned at her thoughts and brushed them aside. _I'm just giddy is all, I'm just happy things went back to normal between us._ Blake thought rationally, mistaking the rapid beat of her own heart as excitement for shoving Yang off the bed.

Suddenly a blonde blur pounced on her. A quiet, mock roar escaped Yang's lips as she flashed her fangs. She tickled Blake mercilessly making the faunus squeal in panic before laughing hysterically. Blake couldn't escape, Yang straddled her waist and her weight prevented her from moving, Yang was smiling deviously at her and Blake struggled to catch her breath in between bouts of laughter.

"S-Stop!" Blake pleaded as she tried to bat Yang's hands away but to no avail.

Yang's smirk only broadened,"Only if you say sorry." Her slender fingers continued to tickle her sides and Blake shrieked with laughter before surrendering.

"S-Sorry!" She stammered in defeat. Yang stopped and grinned before collapsing on the bed next to Blake. The cat faunus was attempting to catch her breath, and could barely do so before Yang's fingers were magnetically attracted to Blake's ears once again. Blake glowered at the girl.

"You're terrible." She growled but didn't object to Yang scratching at her ears. She instead moved closer to her much to Yang's delight.

"I know. But you love me anyway." Yang grinned and Blake snorted, fighting back her smile.

* * *

Adam sighed in discontentment as he stared at Cinder and the masked woman in annoyance,"Yes I understand my role. What I don't understand is why we have to bring Neo into this." He growled before shaking his head,"And you both told me I'd get my revenge on Belladonna, when will I get that? And why didn't you mention before that she was Yang's partner!" He snarled as his red eyes narrowed at the two women in charge.

Cinder laughed quietly as she approached Adam,"Taurus, your questions only shows how little you understand." She shook her head before,"Neo has her own role to play, so don't worry about her. As for Belladonna, she'll get what's coming to her, you get us Xiao Long and you'll get Blake. You can do whatever you wish to her." Cinder paused, golden eyes glistening with entertainment,"And, tell me Adam, why does it matter that Blake is Yang's partner?"

Adam blanked, clenching his jaw in anger as he glowered at Cinder. He had gotten attached, that's why he cared that Yang and Blake were partners. If they formed a bond and Adam killed Blake, he'd be harming Yang immensely in the process. He loved Yang Xiao Long, of course he did, what kind of monster would he be if he didn't love his own sister.

Blake was another subject. He had been deeply in love with her, but she left him, she severed their bond and walked away as though they hadn't been in love. He was frustrated, he hated her, but a part of him loved her all the same. She needed to pay for leaving him alone, and she would. If he couldn't have Blake then no one could.

"She's my sister, Cinder, I don't want her to get hurt in the process of all this. She doesn't deserve that. Why do you want Yang on your side anyway?" He growled defensively, Yang was his baby sister, he had found out about her when he was six and she was four.

He remembered Raven and him discreetly hiding in the shadows as they watched the child. He had been infatuated with her ever since, wishing and longing to meet her, he wanted to be her big brother but how could he? She didn't even know who he was. He envied Ruby Rose, the girl got to grow up with Yang, she harbored all of her sibling love and affection.

It wasn't fair. Adam Taurus was extremely territorial, Yang was HIS sister first, not Ruby's. He remembered watching over Yang whenever he could, it sounded creepy, but he truly loved the blonde. And interacting with her like he was now, meant the world to him. He just didn't know when to reveal the truth to her. He didn't know how she'd handle it.

Yang was his half sister, Adam's father died when he was a child, that's why Raven left Yang. Yang's father had no clue that he existed and neither did anyone else.

"Adam," A sharp voice jolted him from the past as the masked woman approached him,"you've grown rather...fond of her." The cold tone of voice took him by surprise and he scowled.

"And you would have too if you actually got to know her-"

"That's enough."

Adam shook his head,"Mother-"

"I said that's enough." She growled whilst taking off her mask, red eyes glowing with anger,"Yang is an essential piece in our game. We have her, we have Ruby Rose...or at least a better chance at killing Ruby Rose." She reminded him before turning and picking up a red sword nearly identical to her own and Adam's,"Give this to her. Make her stay discreet as well." She instructed sternly while tossing him the sword.

He caught it with ease before shaking his head,"Mother, killing Ruby Rose isn't wise. It's idiotic. Yang loves her far too much and killing her sister would never get her to stand with us. She'd try to destroy us all." Adam sneered bitterly, jealousy creeping into his voice.

Raven laughed and rolled her eyes, jet black hair glowing slightly in irritation,"You know just as well as I do that Yang is temporary. She's a dangerous and powerful threat to have on our hands. If we must we get rid of her too." Raven said indifferently and Adam leaped to his feet and snarled savagely at her.

"She's your _daughter,_ doesn't that mean anything to you!" He roared, eyes blazing with frustration and disbelief,"You never would have proposed such a thing if you hadn't let the humans taint your rational thinking!" He growled while flashing a hateful glare at Cinder who merely smirked in response.

Raven narrowed her eyes and took a threatening step closer to Adam,"If I can recall correctly, I am the true leader of the White Fang, correct?" She hissed and Adam merely glared at her in response,"You are just a figurehead." He said nothing, fuming with anger and disbelief,"You clearly care very much for Yang. She's family, but be that as it may, she's a threat. So you better hope that your persuasion is damn convincing." She growled and Adam gritted his teeth as Raven tossed a small, red container at him.

"What's this." He snarled, not really caring, just infuriated with his mother's attitude.

Raven's crimson colored eyes flickered to the container,"Anger in it's purest form, you want Yang to survive and join us? Give her a bit of that every time you two meet, trust me, it works." She laughed dryly before turning on her heel and stalking away, Cinder flashed him another smirk before following his mother out of the tent.

Adam sat there seething. His hands clutched the new sword and liquid container tightly and he shook his head. He needed to protect Yang, he loved her dearly, but nothing would get in his way of punishing Blake Belladonna...not even his sister. He looked at the liquid his mother gave him, Yang would drink this in a heartbeat if he lied, he thought wryly. She was far too trusting.

"Damn you, Yang." He cursed as he slowly stood to his feet,"You actually made me care, you clever asshole."

* * *

"Yang, meet Neo, Neo this is Yang." Adam introduced and Yang eyed the shorter girl warily.

"Hiya, shorty!" Yang greeted with a friendly smile and a small wave.

She held a pink umbrella and, like Adam, wore all black. Her hair was half brown and half pink, the same with her eyes, a brown eye heavily contrasted with it's pink twin. The girl was extremely short, she went up to Yang's chest, her hair was in neat pigtails that cascaded down her shoulders and she wore a small smile.

The smile wasn't welcoming but smug. She leaned on her umbrella casually as she eyed Yang up and down. Her head cocked to the side as she analyzed the brawler and then her gaze turned back to Adam. Neo did various hand gestures to Adam and Yang's eyebrows shot upwards, sign language? She glanced at Adam to see him nod before turning to Yang.

"Neo is mute. She says, 'Call me shorty again and I'll kill you.' But other than that she likes you." Adam shrugged and Yang grinned widely at the new girl,"Neo will be attending Beacon with you soon, along with three other students, she'd be a valuable ally. At Beacon, she'll have a different identity, much like your partner Blake...Beacon is her fresh start." Adam shrugged carelessly and Yang frowned.

"Wait, why am I meeting her?" Yang questioned before giving the girl a mock bow,"Not that it isn't an honor, Lady Neo, my idiot of a friend just likes to leave me out of the loop." Neo gave a genuine smile, making more hand gestures at Yang who frowned in confusion and looked at Adam.

The redhead was blushing,"Neo, that's not appropriate..." The girl winked at Yang and Adam became flustered,"Knock it off." He growled menacingly while Yang chuckled, she'd admit, Neo was rather attractive,"Anyways, she's apart of our training sessions from now on, your goal will be to beat her in combat without your weapons." He instructed and Yang snorted before disarming herself.

"Easy!" Her claws became unsheathed and her fangs bared,"Just cuz you're cute doesn't mean I'll hold back." Yang smiled cockily before flashing a wink. Neo smiled and opened her umbrella before balancing it on her shoulder.

The lanterns hung above the trees, curtsy of Adam. Neo wasn't faunus so Yang and Adam couldn't train in the dark as normal. With a bared fangs Yang got into a crouched position.

She inhaled the girl's scent, she smelled of...cinnamon? Yang narrowed her eyes, listening to Neo's pulse and heartbeat, both steady which exhibited the girl's calmness. Neo would undoubtably be quick and Yang's toes curled in anticipation as she launched her self at the small girl. She flew towards her, claws extended, teeth bared, and...she missed.

Her claws instead struck the tree that had been behind Neo. Yang growled as she landed on the tree and swiveled her head to so Neo grinning at her smugly and twirling her umbrella idly. Yang unlatched her claws from the tree and dropped to her feet. She took a slower approach, eyeing the quick girl warily, purple eyes beginning to shift into a red color.

When Yang got close enough she faked an uppercut whilst swinging her right fist. Neo had avoided the punches with ease, that smug never leaving her lips. Another growl escaped Yang's lips, anger flooding her, she threw another punch and Neo twisted away.

Suddenly a pair of cold lips pressed against Yang's jaw. Her eyes widened and she elbowed where Neo had been only to have her feet swept out from under her. Yang caught herself before she slammed onto her stomach. Frustration soaked into her as she jumped to her feet.

Neo blew a kiss at her and Yang let out a snarl. She jumped at her only to be hit with the umbrella. Yang cursed as she flew backwards and hit the bark of a tree. She slumped to her knees, shaking her head vigorously, her pain was blocked out by the activation of her semblance. Fire lit up her veins and she stood to her feet, strength coursing through her body.

Grabbing a thick branch off a nearby tree, Yang ripped it off with ease, fire blazing brightly from her hair as heat consumed her. Letting out a devious laugh at the adrenaline, Yang rushed at Neo once again. If Neo's umbrella was as strong as Yang predicted than her plan should work.

Neo braced her umbrella with a smirk as Yang slammed into it with her branch. As suspected, she flew into the air, right over Neo. With a roar, fire spewed from her lips and flew towards Neo's unprotected eyes, Neo's eyes widened in shock and she hastily jumped backwards. She slammed onto her butt as Yang landed on her feet with a smirk, fire engulfing her briefly, eyes blazed with power.

Neo stood to her feet with a glare and Yang charged, throwing a powerful punch, it hit Neo...and she shattered? Yang's ears picked up footsteps behind her and she rolled out of the way as Neo took a swing from behind her. So she could teleport? Yang jumped back to her feet, baring her teeth, claws extended, and her aura radiated with power.

Neo grinned and sprinted at Yang. The brawler braced herself as Neo lunged at her. Yang tried to dodge but Neo expected this, her right foot sticking out and slamming into Yang's stomach. The brawler doubled over in surprise, cold lips pressed against her warm cheek and the blonde let out a growl before attempting to impale the girl with her claws. Neo back flipped away from Yang and waved at her mockingly.

"This little bitch." Yang grumbled, her anger fueling her, she charged once again. Yang threw punch after punch, trying to be fast enough to hit Neo but to no avail. The girl expertly dodged her attacks. Neo was enjoying herself, smirking at Yang's fruitless attempts to land a hit.

But Yang finally got lucky. Unsuspectedly the blonde faked right, knowing it was her dominant hand Neo dodged, she wasn't prepared for the left fist coming her way. Neo's eyes widened as she tried to move away but she was too slow.

Yang's knuckles grazed her chin making her head snap to the side. Yang's eyes widened in shock and glee, not expecting to be able to actually hit the girl.

"HAHA!" Yang cheered excitedly, only to be tackled by the little devil. Neo straddled her, a smirk played on her lips as she eyed Yang appreciatively, Yang swallowed thickly and looked at Adam for help. He just watched the scene stonily, glaring at Neo the entire time, and Yang smiled sheepishly up at the girl.

"So uh, good fight, you're hard to hit. And also, fuck you for slamming me into that tree." Yang gave a good natured smile as she held up her hands,"We don't gotta fight any more-SHIT!" She yelped as Neo latched her teeth onto Yang's throat unsuspectedly and sucked. Yang grabbed her shoulders and shoved her off, leaping to her feet, she gently touched the newly formed hickey and she let out a snarl.

"What the fuck! How am I supposed to walk around with this!" She snarled menacingly and Neo smirked, then it clicked, that little bitch had done it on purpose...just to agitate her.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the smug girl,"Fuck you."

Neo nodded with a wink and Yang growled, baring her fangs, before turning to Adam,"Did you see that bullshit? Now what's Pyrrha gonna think? What's Blake gonna think?" Yang groaned and slapped a hand over her forehead. She didn't notice Adam grit his teeth at the mention of Blake as he grinned.

"Just say you got laid." He suggested,"If Pyrrha likes you at all that'll make her jealous...right?" He shrugged and Yang sighed before shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"She'll know I'm lying-"

"Yang, just try it. That hickey says otherwise...even though it was unnecessary," He shot a glare at Neo,"it's not a bad way to go."

Yang narrowed her eyes at Neo,"I really can't decide if I like you or not...you're like...a sexual and silent version of Nora. Except a bigger asshole." Yang huffed and Neo grinned before tapping the tip of her nose and shattering into a million pieces. Yang looked around in confusion before shaking her head, that was pretty cool...she'd admit.

Adam grinned at her,"Welp, let's go get a drink." He held up a small red container,"You've got to try this. It boosts your semblance and makes you stronger. I got it from a close friend of mine." He said excitedly, Yang trusted Adam so much that she didn't bother to ask about the strange, red liquid.

"Sounds cool."

"Also got you a little gift." He held out a sheathed sword, nearly identical to his, only this sword was a bit shorter than Adam's. Yang's eyes widened in awe as she grabbed it excitedly. She was gonna kick so much ass with this!

"You're the best!" She crushed him into a hug,"Thank you!" He chuckled and hugged her back.

"Don't mention it, Kid."

"I could take that Neo bitch out with this!" Yang cheered enthusiastically.

Adam clapped a hand on her shoulder,"But Yang, I'm serious, you should try to become friends with Neo. She'll be a valuable asset to you." He recommended cryptically and Yang frowned up at him.

"Why is it important if she's a valuable asset?"

Red eyes looked down at her intensely and he cracked a wry smile,"I forget how young you are sometimes. Learn this while you can, friends are just enemies with secret identities, you can only trust family. Have these temporary friends all you want, they'll all betray you at some point, but family is forever." He mumbled, broaching the subject carefully, Yang narrowed her eyes.

"You saying I can't trust you?" Whatever happened to Adam made him lose quite a bit of empathy. He deemed everyone as a traitor and that was a little unsettling for Yang. Would he betray her?

Adam smiled slightly,"You can always trust me, Yang, I'm your big brother after all."

 **Just to be clear, Neo just likes to mess with Yang, next chapter is gonna be...a doozy.**


	6. Chapter 6

Yang looked at him for a moment before laughing,"Good one, Gingersnap! Now c'mon! I want something to drink-"

"Yang." He looked at her seriously,"I'm Raven Branwen's son, Adam Branwen." Yang stiffened at the mention of her mother, her eyes narrowed menacingly as she looked at Adam in disbelief.

"There's no way." She shook her head,"Raven doesn't care about kids." She knew that from experience, Adam looked at her sadly before shaking his head.

"My uh...my dad died when I was two. Raven came to take care of me. I was a boy when she took me out to meet you." A small smile graced his lips,"You were only four at the time, but you were still a complete menace." Adam laughed as he looked deeply in her lilac colored eyes,"You were running around and lighting things on fire because your dad took your cookie and gave it to Ruby." He laughed again and Yang couldn't help but laugh as well.

She supposed it made sense. Adam would have no reason to lie about this. Not to mention there was no way he could know that Raven was her mother. They shared many similar traits, quick to anger, red eyes, the crave to fight, and their strange pride and excitement for new scars. Adam was still fairly happy with the scar Yang had left on his eyebrow.

Yang was actually happy at the prospect of Adam as her brother, not to mention his descriptions of her life as a four year old was extremely accurate. No liar would know that. That's why Adam had offered to train her, he was her brother. It all made sense now.

"That does sound like something I would do." Yang mused with a grin and Adam continued.

"You were so cute." He mumbled,"I was always jealous that Ruby got to grow up with you instead of me. And mom never liked Summer-"

Yang let out a growl and took a step away from him,"Yeah, because Summer was actually a mother to me." Adam grimaced and looked at her sadly.

"I know you're mad, but she had to take care of me-"

Yang shook her head angrily,"That's no excuse, Adam. She could have seen me, she could have had me over, we could have known each other years ago but she kept us separate! She stayed away from me, I don't care if she watched me or not, she _left._ And she didn't show her damn face to me again. I only know her from pictures." Yang laughed bitterly as she shook her head again,"I'm glad she took care of you, but that doesn't-"

"Yang." He tried again but she put a hand up to silence him.

"She never called, never met with me, and never attempted to reach out to me. Nothing you can say will cause me to change my view of her. For years I've searched for her, for years she's avoided me, do you know how...inadequate I feel? Does she even love me, Adam? And don't bullshit me, it's a yes or no question." Yang snarled viciously and Adam paused, thinking it over, and that's when Yang knew the answer.

Tears welled in her eyes much to her anger. She gritted her teeth and turned away from her brother. Squeezing her eyes shut she tried to calm down, she shouldn't have been surprised, Raven didn't care for her.

"Yang...mom doesn't show it but she loves you." Adam murmured as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her to his chest and she buried her face into him, not wanting for him to see her tears. She slung her arms around his waist and hugged him tighter. She had so many questions, so few answers, her largest fears confirmed...her mother didn't want her. Raven didn't love her.

"What...what did I do wrong?" Yang murmured as she pulled away from his embrace. Eyes glistening with unshed tears, she refused to waste another tear on Raven.

Adam smiled sadly at her and leaned forward,"You didn't do anything, Kid." He spoke fondly as he kissed her forehead,"Mom...she's just strange like that. Now, c'mon, I know a real great club that'll have some Yang'n beats!" He joked and Yang couldn't hold back her quiet laugh.

"Hmm, I love you Adam. Thanks for looking out for me." Yang smiled gently at him, trying to erase her anger towards Raven. She saw his eyes temporarily widen before a smile erupted on his lips.

"Love you too. I'll always take care of you." Wrapping an arm around her the two began to leave the woods. Yang couldn't stop smiling, fuck Raven, she finally had someone looking out for her again. She looked up at Adam in adoration, she actually had a big brother.

"Do you promise?" She asked and he looked at her in confusion.

"Hm?"

"Do you promise that you'll take care of me?" Yang reiterated, the inevitable fear of abandonment crept up on her once again.

Adam laughed,"Within two months you've become my best friend, Yang, of course I'll always take care of you. We're family." He assured her and Yang grinned, feeling better than she had in a long time. Family was everything to Yang, she just wished Adam had grown up with her like Ruby had. Ruby, Yang pondered, what would Ruby think of Adam? What about Weiss and Blake?

"When can I introduce you to my team?" Yang asked excitedly and Adam grimaced as he glanced down at her.

"Uh...I'm a very wanted man, Yang. I don't know if I'll meet them anytime soon-"

"Ah, they won't snitch on ya. Just go under a fake name like you did with me! They won't suspect a thing. Ruby will be so jealous! She's always wanted a brother." Yang chuckled and Adam smiled slightly before looking straight ahead once again.

"Yang, I'll schedule a time to meet them. I'm just fairly busy." He shrugged and Yang nodded in understanding.

"Well, I don't know about you but I could go for some beer. Finding out I have a brother makes me rather parched." Yang grinned and Adam laughed.

When they arrived at the bar Adam stopped her,"Take this before we go inside." He instructed as he handed her the red serum,"I'm not really sure the outcome of drinking it, you might explode in flames." He chuckled and Yang grinned.

She took the red liquid that Adam gave her and immediately kicked it back. She frowned at the taste, it was bitter and rather cold like an ice cube. It tasted like a frozen, even more bitter, lemon. She couldn't describe the taste, all she knew was that it was awful.

"Ugh what the-" A scream erupted from her throat, ice felt like it was engulfing her chest, she began shaking uncontrollably and tears streamed down her cheeks. She gripped at her chest and crumpled to her knees. The pain was excruciating, cold seeped through her bones and made her skin feel like ice. Another scream, it felt as though a shard of ice had pierced her heart and she looked at Adam pleadingly.

He looked stunned,"Yang!" He crouched and pulled her in his lap, holding onto her tightly,"I'm sorry! I didn't know it'd do this." He whispered as he held her close to him, trying to warm her up.

Still trembling Yang let out a gurgled cry,"It...hurts. Why does it h-urt so much?" She whimpered and Adam gritted his teeth and pressed his lips to her forehead in an attempt to comfort his baby sister.

"I don't know, but that's all you'll ever have to drink. I promise." He breathed as he held her until the pain slowly began to subside,"You'll never feel that again...ever." He vowed and Yang let out a shuttered breath before calming. She slowly crawled out of his lap and stood up, he did as well, watching her curiously.

She looked at him coldly, eyes a brilliant red rather than lilac, and she felt unquenchable rage,"No! If it'll strengthen my semblance then I need more." She demanded before freezing, eyes reverting back to lilac, she frowned before shaking her head and looking at the surprised bull faunus.

"Erm sorry...don't know what came over me." She shrugged before grinning, feeling better,"Now let's get wasted!" She cheered before rushing into the bar. She didn't know why Adam looked so guilty but she didn't care, they were gonna have fun like they did every night.

Yang smiled widely at everything, unaware of the anger and hatred slowly pooling in her chest.

* * *

"Yang...what's on your neck?" Blake was the first to notice and Pyrrha was quick to follow as the blonde sat at their lunch table. Blake watched lilac colored eyes look around the room, she followed their gaze, a short girl with black hair and green eyes smiled deviously at Yang. Yang glowered back before looking at Blake then Pyrrha in annoyance.

Blake was certain that Yang had muttered,"Neo..." Under her breath but it was hard to hear due to all the distractions in the lunch room.

"Women." Yang shrugged, leaving it at that, face a bright red as she glanced back at the mystery girl.

Blake had noticed that Yang was rather...off today. When she got home late last night, she didn't spare Blake a glance, just limped right up to her bed. When she awoke, she didn't smile at all, she scowled as she got ready and muttered curse words the entire morning.

Much different than her usual chipper self. In their classes, Yang actually left Blake alone, she was too busy glaring at her hands. Blake had tried to get her to loosen up and smile but Yang was having none of it. Too angry at...God knows what. Blake was rather worried.

Ruby's eyes widened,"Wait...Yang...you had-" Pyrrha was livid, eyes downcast, her grip on her fork was extremely intense. Blake was rather agitated by the idea of Yang being out an about with random people. She didn't know why, the idea just made her furious.

Yang sighed and shook her head,"Nah, don't worry about it sis, just a small altercation last night." Blake narrowed her eyes as the green eyed, black haired girl winked at Yang who blushed and gritted her teeth in return.

Weiss looked at Yang closely,"Where have you been going at night anyway?" She questioned and Yang froze, mouth full of cereal as she looked at Weiss. She swallowed her food slowly, hands tangled in blonde hair uncertainly, and she shrugged halfheartedly before looking back at her cereal.

"Blowing off steam, what's it to you?" She mumbled, Blake gritted her teeth, same damn excuse.

Pyrrha and Ruby glared at the blonde,"Yang," Ruby chided,"you can't keep brushing us off-" Yang jumped to attention and shrugged them off.

"Yeah, yeah...one second." She stood to her feet, walking over to the mysterious girl who sat alone. The entire table watched as the blonde sat beside her. Yang frowned as the girl did a flurry of hand moments, Blake's eyes widened, sign language. Yang's frown deepened as she nodded slowly and made some uncertain hand moments of her own.

The new girl beamed in delight before smirking and whipping out a pen and writing something on Yang's hand. Yang read it and her eyes widened before she cursed at the girl and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Guys, we have to do something about Yang." Pyrrha grumbled as she angrily watched the two's interaction. Blake nodded in agreement before Weiss spoke up.

"Blake...you're the best for the stealth mission, you know that right?"

Blake sighed and nodded,"But she has super senses too, remember? She'll know I'm following her."

Ruby bit her lip,"And she'll get super mad...but wherever she's going is making her come back all injured and tired. Not to mention she has to help Weiss plan the dance and...she's never hid anything from me before." She sounded hurt as grey eyes dimmed slightly,"I don't know what to do. She won't open up to me either."

Weiss laid a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder,"Yang's hiding it from everyone. Whatever it is, she can't be too proud of it if she's going through such lengths to keep it secret. Don't worry about it, Ruby." She gave her a brief smile before quickly pulling her hand away, everyone looked at her in shock, her soft demeanor towards Ruby was rather surprising.

Ren coughed awkwardly,"Anyway...maybe if you guys all talk to her-" He started quietly only for Nora to cut her off.

"We should just break her legs! Then she can't go anywhere!" She said proudly and this caused the group to laugh quietly. They all quieted as Yang began to make her way back towards them. The new girl jumped to her feet and tapped her shoulder.

Yang turned to her,"Now what do you want-" The girl pulled her by her jacket, making Yang bend down, before pecking her on the cheek and skipping away. Yang was glaring after her, wiping at her cheek angrily.

Pyrrha and Blake both gritted their teeth at this action. Pyrrha turned to Jaune who had tapped her shoulder, she relaxed slightly and smiled at him, it was a forced smile but Blake noticed her trying to calm herself.

Jaune chose this inopportune moment to whisper,"She needs our help." To Pyrrha who face palmed and shook her head angrily. Yang's eyes snapped towards Jaune who's eyes widened,"Shit, faunus hearing, just kidding! Just kidding, Yang!" He whispered loudly and the blonde curled her hands into fists.

Yang saw them all looking at her, and undoubtably, she noticed the concern in their eyes and Blake knew that Yang knew they had been talking about her.

With an angry huff, Yang left the cafeteria, heading in the direction of the short girl. Abruptly, Weiss stood to her feet, and followed her. Blake's eyes widened as she and Pyrrha stood up as well.

Blake shook her head at Pyrrha,"You stay, she needs her team right now."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes,"I'm her best friend-"

Blake didn't back down as her jaw set,"And I'm her partner. I know you mean well, but right now, she needs us. You won't help the situation...you'll coddle her." Blake said bluntly and Pyrrha's eyes flashed with rage.

But Blake was right, Pyrrha was a bit of a doormat when it came to Yang. She let her feelings interfere with how she handled the brawler. Right now, Yang needed people to be firm with her.

Ruby grimaced as she grabbed Blake's arm,"Sorry Pyrrha...Blake is right. We'll be back." She dragged the faunus away, Blake felt strangely victorious as Pyrrha glowered after her.

* * *

Yang huffed as she stalked to the airship, planning to meet up with Adam, her day was already pretty shitty. She had to listen to Ruby excitedly ask about Sun and Blake's little lunch date, she had to endure more of Neo's sexual attacks, and now her friends thought she was some basket case.

"Fuck this." She grumbled as she jammed her hands in her pockets. Adam didn't judge her, he'd help her blow off some steam, he'd make her feel better.

At least with Adam, she could fight as hard as she wanted without holding back, but he didn't offer her the comfort she truly craved...not like Blake did. Cursing under her breath Yang shook her head, thinking of Blake wouldn't help her with her problem.

"Yang Xiao Long! You stop this instance!" A loud, shrill voice caused her to wince and whirl around. An angry Weiss was marching towards her with Blake and Ruby in tow. Yang bared her teeth at them without realizing it, she just wanted to be left alone, her claws unsheathed and her eyes widened. Her claws instantly vanished and she put her fangs away, not sure where her random burst of aggression had come from.

"What do you want." Yang growled,"Can't you just leave me alone?"

Weiss shook her head as she stood up straight and glowered at the girl,"I absolutely can't! Right now, you're being incredibly childish! Keeping secrets, getting mad when we voice our concern, and you continue to keep running off at night. You come back with bruises and you're covered in blood and now, hickeys! Hickeys of all things!" Weiss admonished in disgust before shaking her head,"We're worried about you-"

"You shouldn't be! I can take care of myself." Yang spat pridefully,"You guys don't need to know everything I do." She felt her claws unsheathe again much to her concern, why was she so angry? She shoved her hands into her pockets once again as she tried to calm herself.

Ruby took a tentative step forward,"We do when it's affecting you...and affecting the whole team. You're hurt all the time, losing sleep, and you're a bit grumpier now. More defensive. Just tell us what you're doing, we can help with whatever it is, Yang-"

Yang shook her head,"You don't understand!" She snapped,"I'm doing this for you! For the team!" Her breathing deepened as she squeezed her eyes shut and relaxed slightly. She could control her emotions...well...she could try at least.

Ruby frowned,"You're not acting like the Yang I know, you're different now-"

Yang's eyes snapped open as she took a menacing step forward,"Don't pull that bullshit, I'm still the same person! I'm the same girl that took care of you, I'm the same girl that combed your hair and taught you how to fight with your fists, I'm the same girl that wiped every damn tear from your eye the day Summer died." Yang snarled causing Ruby to flinch and Weiss let out a growl of her own as she got face to face with the girl.

"What the hell is your problem-"

"I'm not doing anything! You guys just showed up and began accusing me of all this bullshit! What's your problem?" Yang countered, shoving Weiss away from her. The heiress stumbled backwards before narrowing her eyes and drawing her sword. Yang looked at her dubiously before laughing loudly.

"You think I'm afraid of you? If you think I'm intimidated by some rich bitch, then you clearly don't know me very well. Go run back to daddy, kid, before you get another scar on your face." Yang's claws came unsheathed, she didn't have her gauntlets on her and she didn't need them. Weiss's eyes flashed with hurt much like Ruby's had but other than that she was stoic, poised to attack at any moment.

That's when Blake stepped forwards, gently pushing Weiss's sword down, and walked up to Yang. Yang watched her angrily, she was in some strange, anger induced haze and she didn't know why. She didn't know why she couldn't fight it. She wanted to apologize to Ruby and Weiss for being an ass, she wanted to engulf both of them in a bearhug and assure them that everything was fine. But she couldn't.

Amber eyes looked at Yang with utter grief as she gently reached out and touched her cheek,"Yang, whatever you're doing is hurting you...changing you." She spoke softly causing Yang to calm slightly,"We don't want you to keep hurting yourself by whatever it is you're doing. We want you to take care of yourself and get some rest." She pleaded and Yang gave her a sad smile, feeling some of her anger sap away.

She shook her head slightly but allowed Blake's hand to remain,"Don't you get it?" She breathed,"I couldn't give a shit about myself, why do you all think I throw myself in danger like that?" She laughed dryly before pulling away from the shocked faunus,"I don't care if I'm killed in battle, all I care about is you guys being safe."

Weiss shook her head, sheathing her sword,"You idiotic brute! You need to care what happens to you!" She snarled angrily while Ruby lunged at her sister and engulfed her in a hug.

"Yang, you can't hurt yourself like that. If you die-"

Yang quickly interjected,"Then I die." Her anger was gone momentarily, she clutched Ruby to her like she was her lifeline,"And yeah, it's fucked up that I won't know if my sacrifice did any good, or if all of you will end up surviving anyway. I'll just have to go on faith, ya know? But if I save you guys and you all get to live a little longer, then it'll be worth it." She sighed as she swallowed thickly, her heart felt heavy as she saw Weiss shake her head at her.

Ruby pulled away and looked up at her in disbelief,"Why are you so quick to leave me?" She breathed and Yang froze, realization jolted through her as she looked at Ruby's large eyes. Grey. Her eyes were so much like Summer's, Ruby looked so much like Summer, it hurt to look at her sometimes.

But whatever strange anger was affecting Yang wasn't done with her yet. Another burst of rage swept over her as she pulled away from Ruby and smiled maliciously at her teammates.

"You still don't get it?" A hysteric laugh escaped her lips,"My own mother didn't even want me. What's the point? You all have something that drives you...I have nothing." She quieted before shaking her head,"Weiss, you want to take over your company and make it better. Blake, you want to defeat the White Fang and help the faunus. And Ruby, you want to be a huntress and protect people." Yang gave a weak smile as she turned to glance at the edge of the platform she stood precariously close to, one step and she'd be dead, it was a long drop that aura couldn't heal.

Yang gritted her teeth and looked at her stunned teammates,"You guys know why I'm here? Because I like fighting." She laughed bitterly,"I'm so aimless, dying in battle isn't scary to me, I have nothing better to do." Ruby was older and didn't depend on her anymore, her father got out of his slump, and now she knew about Raven...she had nothing else to drive her. All the anger pent up inside her was physically painful, she didn't know where it was coming from, it's never been there before. What happened to her?

Yang realized that she didn't just throw herself carelessly into battle for her teammates...a part of her wanted to die. She'd be free of responsibilities, free of pain, free of it all. It was so selfish, she shook her head and scowled, she couldn't believe how selfish she was being. The thought was ridiculous.

Weiss frowned,"Darn it Yang, you're driven...you just don't know by what. It's not fair to compare your situation to ours-"

"Because you've all had it so hard, yes I understand that." Yang spat heatedly, oh so confused as to why she was attacking them like this.

Weiss softened and let out a breath,"No, because all of us are extremely stubborn, but at a younger age us three discovered what we've wanted to do. You've been too busy caring for Ruby to think of anything...but her really." Weiss conceded gently and Yang, inwardly softened, but whatever was amping up her anger was making everything worse.

"Don't patronize me." Yang growled and Blake looked at her in disbelief while Weiss shrugged indifferently. But Yang saw the concern in those ice blue eyes, the way the corner of her lips tugged downwards, the way her hands fiddled with the hem of her skirt anxiously. Weiss was worried about her.

Ruby balled her hands into fists,"Yang, where's all this coming from-"

Yang laughed again,"Surprising isn't it? Not many people know that I have other emotions aside from happiness." She looked at Weiss accusingly and the heiress stared back at her steadily. Ruby shook her head angrily.

"Why are you acting like this? I understand you're upset but you're lashing out at us...it's very unlike you." Ruby said quietly, eyes watering slightly,"Was it something I did or..." She trailed off, eyes wide with fear for her sister. Yang broke instantly, seeing her sister blame herself as Yang constantly did herself made her rage evaporate.

"Shit...no Ruby, you didn't do anything." She clutched her sister to her tightly and rested her chin on her hair,"You never do anything, you know that." Yang mumbled, she started to feel like her old self again,"I don't know what was wrong with me...it was my fault. Never yours." Yang growled fiercely, angered at herself for being a complete ass to everyone. Especially Ruby. Ruby wrapped her arms around Yang and hugged her back just as tightly.

Ruby meant the world to her, she kept her sane, Ruby made her want to be a better person. Yang had always considered her baby sister as her little angel. There wasn't a thing for Ruby that Yang wouldn't do, her sister was always able to evoke such sappy emotions from her, but Yang didn't mind. She loved her baby sister.

Guilt swept over her as she pulled away and smiled wryly at Ruby,"You asked me why I'm so quick to leave you. It's so you don't leave me first." She said honestly and Blake took this time to step forward. Amber eyes flashed with anger and her hands balled into fists.

"And you think we won't miss you? You're important to us, this team would fall apart without you, please don't go out tonight Yang. Stay with us, I won't...I won't even pressure you to tell us where you've been going. Just please, care about yourself like we care about you!" Blake snarled as she angrily jabbed the brawler's chest, making the blonde stumble backwards.

Weiss nodded her head,"Blake is right, even though you're a gargantuan buffoon," She ignored Yang's quiet, 'Fuck does that mean?',"we all love you. And I'll be blunt, you're an idiot for even thinking that you'd be doing us a service. It was a nice thought but, get some rest and heal up, spend some time with us. We've missed you, Yang." Weiss smiled sincerely and Yang couldn't help but return it before sighing.

"O-Okay. And I'm really sorry for being such an ass...I don't know what came over me. I love you guys!" Yang mumbled sheepishly and was surprised when they all swept her into a large hug. She laughed jovially, she loved hugs, she reached for all of them and tried to hug back but that proved to be rather difficult.

When they pulled away Blake held up a pinkie,"You have to pinkie swear to stop going out at night and getting yourself hurt." She said seriously and Ruby nodded, holding up her own pinkie. Weiss looked at them in annoyance before rolling her eyes and holding up her pinkie as well.

Yang hesitated before hooking her pinkies with theirs,"Pinkie swear." She lied through her teeth, and the worst part of it was, Blake knew she was lying.

* * *

"First Yang, now you, nice Blake." Weiss growled at the faunus as she glowered at her computer.

"Go away. I need to work." Blake snapped angrily, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. Dark circles had gotten darker from her lack of sleep and her "obsessive" behavior. She had to put a stop to the White Fang. The White Fang were out of control and Blake had to know what they were planning and how to stop them.

Weiss set her jaw,"Don't make me get Ruby and Yang-"

"Just go, alright? I'm sure Yang is busy tonight anyway." She spat bitterly. The blonde had broken her promise multiple times already, it had been a week. She was just sneakier about it, Ruby and Weiss had no clue she was slipping out, but Blake did. Yang just chose later hours and came back even later when she was certain everyone was asleep. The girl had grown more aggressive recently and Blake had confronted her about it.

Yang had then promised to tone down her aggression. And she kept that promise. It was as if a flip had been switched, she had reverted back to bubbly girl Blake had first met.

It made the faunus relieved. She and Yang were doing alright and her friendship with Sun had declined a bit. She had turned down his invitation to the dance, planning not to go, she had too much work to do.

Weiss shook her head,"I swear, you and Yang were meant for each other." She muttered under her breath but Blake ignored her,"You should come to the dance, take a break, Yang has gotten better and she'd love if you came-"

"Too busy." Blake brushed her off and Weiss gritted her teeth.

"Well-"

"Do you plan on taking Ruby?" Blake asked, finally sparing the girl a glance.

Weiss turned a bright red,"N-No. I'm going solo. Neptune said he wanted to go with friends and-"

"Take Ruby." Blake interrupted,"I know you like her and she likes you. Just don't tell Yang." Blake mused before returning to her research,"Now, please leave." Blake muttered, blocking out Weiss's response.

The heiress finally left and Blake sighed in relief. She got back to work, working for hours more before checking the time. Midnight. She yawned before her eyes lit up, finding leads on the White Fang's mass consumption of Dust. Suddenly a red dot appeared on her screen, capturing her attention.

With a growl she smacked it. But it reappeared right next to her. She looked around, seeing no one in the library, it was empty. She huffed and followed the dot, it was distracting her from her work, she stalked the dot as it led her to the source. When the dot vanished she looked up to see...Yang.

The girl had a busted lip and wore a brilliant smile on her lips. Without a word, the blonde interlaced their fingers, and began dragging Blake away. Blake frowned but followed the blonde regardless, feeling her heart thump heavily.

"Where are we-"

Yang turned back to her with an easy going smile,"A special place I found." She dragged her outside and led her into the woods,"Can you keep up?" Yang smirked, eyes glinting with mirth and Blake found herself smirking back.

"Of course." Fangs appeared as Yang grinned before releasing her hand and bolting into the woods. Blake raced after her, Yang had launched herself into the trees, jumping from branch to branch with ease. Blake followed behind her, happy with the blonde's slight increase in speed. Blake was still faster but Yang had improved her speed.

There was only silence that followed the stealthy girls to their destination. Blake kept her gaze trained on the wild blonde hair in front of her. The familiar scent of gun powder filled Blake's nose and involuntarily made her relax. Yang glanced back at her with a grin before cheering and launching herself off of the branch. She landed on the ground with a roll before she was on her feet again.

Blake followed in suit, running alongside the brawler, Yang turned to her with a grin and began howling loudly as though she was a wolf. Blake laughed as howls echoed Yang's, they were far away and clearly not a threat. Yang smiled warmly at her, not taking her eyes off Blake, this was a mistake.

A stream came up and Blake leaped over it with ease. Yang hadn't been paying attention, and tripped over a rock before bellyflopping into the stream. Blake stopped and let out a loud laugh as Yang stumbled to her feet, soaking wet. Yang laughed as well before tackling Blake into a hug. Blake shrieked at the cold water that stung her skin. However, despite being drenched in water, Blake continued to laugh along with Yang.

The brawler finally let her go with a grin before winking and activating her semblance. She temporarily became engulfed in flames, drying herself instantly and leaving an angry, wet Blake who scowled at her.

Yang smiled and shrugged off her jacket before wrapping it around Blake,"Here, we're close enough to my special place, we can walk now." Blake blushed slightly as she slipped into Yang's extremely warm jacket. It smelled just like her. It was a comforting thing to think about.

Blake mumbled,"Thanks." And Yang laughed lightly.

"You're welcome my, adorable kitten. Now let's go!" She grabbed her hand again and the two walked side by side, fingers interlaced.

Blake stared at their hands curiously as her blush darkened,"Erm..."

Yang blushed as well and looked away,"Just uh...trying to help you stay warm." She muttered lamely and Blake chuckled, she didn't mind.

They approached a large oak tree, the top obscured by leaves and branches,"Can you climb?" Yang asked,"There aren't many branches so...and you don't have claws." Yang pointed out and Blake frowned before shrugging.

"I can't climb that-"

"Shit, hit me." Yang demanded,"I'm strong but I've never climbed with someone on my back. Just to be safe, hit me, activate my semblance." She instructed and Blake shook her head.

"I'm not hitting you."

Yang smiled lightly,"C'mon Blakey, I was an ass last week to my baby sis, Weiss, and you. Just hit me." She coaxed gently but Blake shook her head once again,"Fuck." Yang growled as she looked around before unsheathing her claws.

Blake panicked,"No! Don't...don't do that! Here let me just..." Blake slammed her fist in Yang's stomach making the blonde double over. Yang moaned and nodded.

"Alright, pull my hair. That should do it." Yang chuckled as Blake uncertainly entangled her fingers in her hair. Damn her hair was soft. With a hard tug Yang snarled, eyes turning a bright red,"Get on my back." She growled and Blake raised an eyebrow before hopping on the girl's back. Yang leapt on the tree and began climbing.

Blake tried not to focus on Yang's muscles flexing as she quickly got them to the top. Blake buried her face in the girl's neck and sighed, she was tired. Yang hummed in response but kept climbing regardless, when they got to the top there was a platform that overlooked the entire forest.

Blake looked at it in shock before climbing off and sitting on the wooden platform. The view was beautiful, the broken moon shown brightly overhead, stars lit up the sky and trees loomed over sleeping grimm. She sat on the edge and smiled softly at the view, Yang slid next to her and grinned at her.

"Beautiful right? I found this one night...just running around. When I need a place to think I come up here and...it makes me feel peaceful I guess. No one knows about it...except you. So feel honored" Yang's grin broadened as Blake smiled at her.

"It's amazing, and thank you, I'm very honored." They sat in silence for a moment, Blake leaned against Yang, enjoying her warmth. Yang, after a while, laid her head atop Blake's and a yawn escaped her lips.

"Why do you stay up so late?" Yang murmured and Blake snorted.

"I should be asking you the same thing."

Yang sighed,"Tonight I was out at the club, got in a fight, all of it over a stupid guy. I wasn't interested in him! I smiled at him and then he began flirting with me. Then his girlfriend showed up...and you know the rest. I swear, she nearly pissed herself when she saw my fangs." Yang laughed and Blake joined in, happy that Yang was honest with her about her whereabouts...tonight at least.

"Well, more exciting than my night...I just really need to find out more about the White Fang." Blake mused and Yang pulled away from her slightly and looked at her.

"You going to the dance?"

Blake shook her head,"Sun asked me, told him no, got too much work to do." Yang chuckled lightly as she leaned backwards. She laid on her back and put her hands behind her head as she gazed up at the sky. Blake soon followed, it would make talking to Yang easier, she wouldn't be tempted to stare like a moron if they spoke like this.

"You should go to the dance. I personally, think Sun is a piece of shit, but if you wanna go with him then you should. You need to take a break from your White Fang search." Yang said gently and Blake frowned, Yang didn't understand.

"I can't-"

"You will go. I'm forcing you to go to the dance. I know you want to stop these guys...but you can't let your search consume you. When was the last time you and I hung out? A week or two? More? Can't keep track of the many days I cry due to your absence." Yang joked with a sniffle,"I miss my kitten! Velvet's ears aren't nearly as fun!" Yang laughed and Blake snorted and rolled her eyes.

"If I take a break then the White Fang have more time to get stronger. I can't do that." Blake objected and Yang sighed.

"Sometimes, you remind me of myself." She mused,"When I was a kid, I found a lead on Raven, I was ten at the time. I put Ruby in a wagon and tried followed my hunch. Stupid really, I took her into the forest unprotected just because of my obsession with finding Raven. I let my search consume me, Ruby and I almost died, surrounded my beowolves...I couldn't protect Ruby or myself for that matter. Had Qrow not appeared...well you know." Yang mumbled quietly as she turned on her side to face Blake,"I'm still looking for my mom, you know? After eleven years I haven't stopped. I just know when to take a break."

Blake faced Yang as well, surprised by the girl's story, Yang obviously blamed herself for many things. She didn't think very highly of herself in terms of importance. Yang knew she was attractive and a great fighter, she just didn't know her own importance to other people.

"Yang...I'm sorry you went through that...but this is different. This is time sensitive-"

"So is mine." Yang objected with a wry smile,"I could die any day now, I have a time limit to find my mother." Yang chuckled as she stared at Blake,"I just worry about you. Don't work yourself so hard. You won't be able to fight them without being well rested. Go have fun at the dance, do it for me, Blakey! Do it for the people you care about." Yang scooted closer to the faunus, gently running her fingers over her covered ears.

Blake sighed, hating how her heart swelled with affection for the brawler. She didn't want to take a break but she knew that Yang was right. She needed to come back to reality and get some rest.

"O-Okay. I'll go with Sun," _I'd rather go with you,_ "who are you going with?" Blake questioned and Yang gritted her teeth, retracting her hand and she shrugged. Blake frowned at the loss of contact, wondering what she did to make Yang upset.

"Pyrrha," Yang grinned sheepishly,"but I'll save you a dance. You get the honor of being my first dance. So tell Sun that you gotta dance with the attractive blonde first." Yang winked and Blake chuckled softly before nodding, miffed that Pyrrha would get to go with Yang. But at least she got a dance.

"That sounds...great." Blake murmured whilst biting her lip.

Blake's feelings for Yang had become more...confusing. It started out as a strong dislike for the girl. Her attitude was aggravating and her jokes were awful...okay they still were. She reeked of confidence and was rather egotistical. Then Yang had the confrontation with Tukson and things had been different ever since.

Seeing the brawler break down last week was hard on Blake. Hearing her confess that she didn't care about herself, carelessly speaking of her own death, and just shrugging off their concern was scary. Yang didn't realize how wonderful she was and Blake made that her new mission, to make Yang care about herself.

Yang loved just about everyone. And it was extremely unsettling to know that Yang cared little of herself. Blake looked over at the blonde, she stared up at the sky with a content smile on her face. Blake sat up slightly and looked at the brawler rather timidly. What if she and Blake bonded? She trusted Yang enough to let her in, but would Yang want to?

Blake was hesitant,"Uh...Yang?" She spoke softly but Yang's sharp hearing picked it up easily. The blonde sat up as well, looking at Blake with concern.

"You okay, Blakey?"

Blake smiled slightly,"Y-Yeah." She stammered,"I just...when I was in the White Fang I had a partner. His name was Adam Taurus." She noticed Yang stiffen at the mention of Adam but relaxed soon after she heard the last name,"We were close...we were bonded. He grew up with me, found me when I was a kid, my parents died when I was young and he took me to the White Fang. He looked after me." Blake felt her heart seize at the memories of Adam.

Yang smiled slightly,"He sounds great-"

"He was...but he gradually spiraled out of control. He hurt so many people...killed so many people. He went crazy with rage and I couldn't do it anymore, he and the White Fang tarnished everything we worked so hard to get. We started out peaceful, and for a while, it worked. Humans were kinder to us...but then the White Fang got Adam as their leader and he turned to the violent approach." Blake let out a growl,"He fucked it all up, Yang! I...I couldn't stand it...I tried to adapt with them but it was too much. That's why I left." Blake murmured, eyes watering involuntarily as she thought of all her victims.

Corpses among corpses. She squeezed her eyes shut, she could still remember every face of her victims. She couldn't get them out of her mind, fifty, she slaughter fifty people in three months. Their screams and cries for mercy still pierced her ears, she hadn't known she was trembling until Yang pulled her securely to her chest. She held Blake a couple of tears fell. Blake hastily wiped her eyes and let out a muffled laugh.

"Erm...sorry. Didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize for having emotions, Blake. Whoever this Adam kid is, well I can see why you've been searching for him for such a long time. Sounds like a dick. We'll find him, I swear, and we'll whoop his ass!" Yang reassured with a grin and Blake smiled slightly before looking at Yang.

"I...I trust you, Yang. And I want to bond. I know you're better than Adam...you've proven that time and time again." Blake sniffled as she wiped the rest of her tears away. Purging, lifeless and unblinking eyes, from her mind.

Yang was silent for a moment before grinning broadly,"Thanks for trusting me...it means a lot. And hell yeah! Of course I'm better than Adam, sounds like a lil bitch to me." Yang laughed, trying and succeeding to cheer Blake up,"So we gonna bond right now?"

Blake rested her head on her shoulder and sighed,"It takes energy, I'm sleep deprived, and so are you. So we don't have enough to initiate it tonight. After the dance we'll do it, so rest up, I mean it." She said warningly.

Blake could practically hear the smirk in Yang's voice as she spoke,"Are we bonding? Or doing something else that requires...a lot of energy?" Blake pulled away and glared as the brawler wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"...Yang-"

"We can do both if you're up for it."

"...I'd rather be stung by a million bumblebees."

Yang laughed loudly,"Yeah yeah, deny me all you want, but no one can resist-"

"Hitting you?" Blake interjected with a smirk as she stood to her feet.

Yang grinned as she jumped to her feet as well,"I love it when you're feisty!" She cheered,"Almost as much as I love your Bellabooty!" She smacked Blake's ass and howled in laughter as she launched herself off the tree.

A livid, blushing Blake chased after her angrily,"YANG!"

* * *

Yang smiled at Blake in adoration as she dipped her laughing partner,"Man, I'm an excellent dancer!" Yang declared as she spun the beautiful girl in her arms. Yang's heart was beating so fast, too fast, she was probably about to have a heart attack. Blake looked gorgeous and Yang envied Sun, stupid, ugly ass monkey.

Blake wore a black dress that showed a modest amount of skin. Her lean legs were exposed and Yang had to force herself not to stare. Her hair looked the same and only added to her beauty. Her bow was still intact much to Yang's disappointment, she wished she let her faunus ears show. Blake was practically glowing, she radiated beauty and Yang couldn't take her eyes off her.

Pyrrha hadn't arrived yet because she was helping Jaune get ready. That boy was a mess so Yang didn't mind her friend being late. Yang wore a simple, white dress, not wanting to give Pyrrha a heart attack. Yang chuckled silently at the thought, Pyrrha would undoubtably be the one distributing heart attacks.

"If you step on my toes this dance is over." Blake warned but the smile on her lips showed she wasn't serious.

Yang smirked as she twirled her,"Well, I'd just be getting your toes prepped for Sun." She teased and Blake laughed quitely as she got closer to Yang, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Be nice." Blake chided,"So, have you been getting enough sleep so we can bond tomorrow?" Blake asked in slight concern, she hadn't heard Yang getting up or coming home late at night.

Yang winked,"I mean between you and Pyrrha I don't get much sleep regardless-OW!" She yelped as Blake slapped her arm, the faunus looked at her in bemusement.

"That didn't hurt, you big baby." Blake scoffed and Yang pouted as they continued to sway to the music. Yang had her hand on Blake's waist and they hadn't realized another song had started.

"Yes it did! Bully." She huffed before smiling widely at her,"Did I tell you...that you look really awesome tonight?" She winced at her lack of eloquence,"I mean, beautiful!" She amended and Blake laughed softly before giving a small nod.

"Thank you, you do as well." They danced in silence, Blake timidly avoiding Yang's intense gaze, while Yang openly stared at her companion. Blake looked amazing and Yang couldn't get over that. She felt someone tap her shoulder and she saw Sun, wearing his normal attire with an additional tie.

Yang fought back a snarl,"Mind if I cut in?" He asked with a grin and Yang faked a smile.

"She's all yours." Yang walked away from them quickly, hating that ugly feeling squeeze her chest, it was anger and something else as she watched Blake smile at Sun. Shit. Yang shook her head, what was wrong with her?

Suddenly Neo appeared in front of her. Yang's eyes widened, the short girl cleaned up nicely. Her black hair cascaded down her back in waves, her green eyes flashed with warmth as she looked at Yang, and she wore a light pink dress with brown heels to match. Though it was a strange combination, Yang had to admit, she looked good.

 _Dance with me._ Neo signed and Yang chuckled as she was tugged to her feet. Neo and her had gotten along better. The mute girl was still annoying as hell, but she had taught her sign language, she also attended some of her and Adam's nights out.

An upbeat song came on and Yang grinned widely,"You wore heels today, lucky for you I wore flats, so now you come up to my chin." Yang tease and Neo stuck her tongue out in response before planting a cold kiss on Yang's nose. Yang shook her head with a chuckle, used to _some_ of Neo's shenanigans. Kisses on the nose and cheeks no longer surprised her.

"You having fun?" Yang asked as she spun the girl. Neo grinned and nodded before releasing her hands so she could communicate better with Yang.

 _You look good._ Neo added a wink and Yang nodded.

"You too, Shorty." Yang smirked as Neo scowled and rolled her eyes before grabbing her hands again. They danced for a moment longer, Yang chattering about random things and Neo listening and nodding or rolling her eyes. When the song ended, Yang bowed with a smile, instead of following in suit Neo grabbed her cheeks.

Yang tried to pull away but couldn't due to the strong grip,"Neo," Yang warned with narrowed eyes,"I swear to-" A cold kiss was planted on her warm lips briefly before the girl pulled away and waved before dancing out of sight. Yang stared, dumbfounded at what had just happened.

The brawler sighed and rolled her eyes,"Fucking bitch." She muttered under her breath before turning around. She nearly ran into Pyrrha in the process,"Ah! Sorry P-" She froze when she looked at the redhead, she wore a red, form fitting dress and looked...amazing. She hadn't realized her jaw dropped until Pyrrha laughed and closed it for her with her hand.

"You okay there?" Pyrrha smiled brilliantly at her, green eyes brightening at the sight of Yang's stammering.

Yang nodded slowly once she processed the situation,"Yeah...just really gay right now." She blurted out before slapping a hand over her mouth. Pyrrha laughed as Yang hung her head in sheer humiliation,"Fuck me." She groaned and Pyrrha winked at her.

"In that dress I just might." Yang's jaw dropped before she frowned and shook her head in disbelief.

"Pyrrha! No! Only I can do smooth lines! You...that was really good actually." Yang sighed in defeat and Pyrrha grinned before interlacing their fingers and dragging the brawler to the dance floor.

"Everyone else got to dance with you, now it's my turn." Pyrrha grinned and Yang snorted.

"Please, you didn't see it, but I had to fight guys off with a stick to keep them away from you." Yang waggled her eyebrows and Pyrrha laughed, but for some unknown reason, Yang's heart didn't leap at the sound anymore.

"So, was that girl a good kisser?" Pyrrha asked innocently while Yang chuckled quietly.

"Not as good as you." She said truthfully and Pyrrha stiffened before looking at Yang guiltily.

"Yang-"

The blonde smiled,"I was kidding, P, that was forever ago. Don't worry about it." She gently reached up and brushed red hair that began to fall in her eyes,"I've let it go," _Liar,_ "and you should too. That's why I joked about it." Yang shrugged in mock indifference when really, she hated thinking about it. She just wanted this to be a fun night.

Pyrrha sighed, knowing Yang was lying,"Yang, you're a horrid liar." _So are you._ Yang thought but didn't dare say it aloud.

"At least I don't have two left feet." She teased, quickly changing the subject, not wanting to think about...shit. Pyrrha scowled at her and rolled her eyes.

"I dance just fine!"

"The last time we danced, you broke my toe." Yang reminded and the two immediately broke into laughter. All tension between them melting.

"Your toe got in my way!" Pyrrha argued and Yang looked at her in disbelief.

"I was standing still!" They both erupted into laughter again, Pyrrha gently rested her head against Yang's shoulder as they shook with laughter. When it died down they both began to slowly sway to the music.

Yang's eyes darted around for Blake. The faunus was sitting next to Sun and they were talking, Sun had an arm slung around her shoulders and Yang gritted her teeth, fucking monkey. Yang shook it off, refusing to look at Blake any longer, refusing to see how happy Sun made her.

A hand cupped her cheek,"Yang, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked gently and Yang snapped out of her anger, feeling guilty for thinking of Blake while dancing and being so intimate with Pyrrha. Not that Pyrrha liked her...unfortunately.

Steeling herself Yang leaned forward and planted a kiss on Pyrrha's forehead,"Now I am." She smiled warmly at her friend and Pyrrha returned the smile. And for a fleeting moment, she wished that green eyes would turn gold.

* * *

Blake wasn't upset. Of course not. She was perfectly content watching that mysterious girl kissing Yang. And she was even more content with Pyrrha and Yang's intimacy. No she wasn't at all frustrated that she was here with Sun rather than Yang. Not at all, nor was she bitter than Pyrrha and Yang were having such a good time.

Okay so maybe all of that was a lie. She hated seeing all of that.

However, Blake took some victory in seeing the brawler glare at Sun repeatedly. Blake may have been acting happier than she actually was when she was with Sun. Blake's eyes widened in realization, that was a shitty thing to do. She wasn't flirting with Sun, maybe at one point she liked him like that, but not anymore. He was just a friend.

"Want some punch?" Sun offered with a grin. Blake watched as Yang tenderly kissed Pyrrha's forehead. Her chest seized with anger and some other unknown emotion. It felt awfully ugly. Blake didn't know why she felt like this, or why she cared so much about how Yang felt for Pyrrha.

"Yeah." Blake mumbled and Sun dashed off to get them drinks. He was a good guy but she didn't care for him like that.

However, her feelings for the brawler terrified her. How did she feel about Yang? She thought back to when they kissed in their dorm, just the thought made her lips feel warm. Even though it was a joke it had affected Blake more than she'd want to admit.

* * *

"And you've kept giving her that red serum?" Raven asked,"Because it takes constant doses to make Yang continuously angry like that." Adam nodded as he stood up straight.

"Of course." He shrugged, lying with ease. He saw what that serum crap did to Yang and her refused to continue. He could gain her loyalty some other way than harming her and tainting her personality. He leaned against the wall as he eyed his mother,"You still haven't explained your reasons for Neo-"

"And I don't need to." She interrupted,"Your attachment to Yang is...unsettling. So you can understand my hesitance." She shrugged, red eyes clashed with her son's furious gaze.

"You don't trust me? I'm loyal to you mother! But it's not a crime to love Yang as well. In fact, you love her as well, I don't know why you hide it." Adam spat accusingly and Raven's eyes flashed with anger. Her hands remained behind her back as she looked at Adam with annoyance.

"I have many reasons for what I do, son. And when the time comes you'll know why." She spoke cryptically before turning away from him, hands balled into fists.

He glared at her for a moment,"And why do you want Ruby dead? At least explain that to me, so I don't assume you're just a bitter, jealous lover. Not that I'm complaining, I don't like Ruby either, but I don't understand why we're wasting our time on her." He shrugged in slight annoyance and his mother turned to him slowly.

"Why, I thought it was obvious." A sneer appeared on her lips as she looked at her son,"My boy, she has silver eyes."

 **Next chapter is gonna have hella fights. It's about 3 something and I'm exhausted so sorry if my editing was shit.**

 **The plot will thicken incredibly next chapter, I'm pretty pumped! A lot more of Blake will be next chapter. More White Rose is gonna be in the next chapter as well.**

 **So basically, prepare yourselves, next chapter, a lot of things are gonna go to shit. Not everything, but a lot of things.**

 **Thank you all for reading! It means a lot, stay baller!**


	7. Chapter 7

Blake gave a disapproving frown as Neo forcefully yanked Yang away. The blonde gave her an apologetic look before being dragged away from the faunus, promising she'd be right back. Once a ways a way the two were animatedly moving their hands, using damn sign language to be discreet. Yang's back was to Blake who stood away from them, waiting for her partner so they could go to Port's class.

Neo glanced at Blake with a smug smile before leaning up and kissing Yang's jaw. The faunus narrowed her eyes at the gesture while Yang cursed at Neo, taking a step backwards.

"Do you always have to do that?" She asked grumpily, clearly embarrassed that the short girl had done it in front of everyone. Neo nodded in response, casting Blake another infuriating smirk. The girl was obviously enjoying Blake's glare as she, once again, got in Yang's personal space.

Gauging Blake's reaction the entire time, Neo's smugness never vanished as she signed to Yang, turning her attention back to the brawler. The brawler laughed before nodding. They continued signing back and forth for a moment, Neo throughly entertained by Blake's agitation as she kept glancing her way.

"Alright," Yang finally said before patting the girl affectionately on the head,"catch ya later, Shorty." Neo signed something else making Yang blush and she crossed her arms over her chest awkwardly,"Shut up." She grumbled, turning back to Blake with a scowl, clearly not liking her discussion with Neo.

"What was that all about?" Blake asked and Yang shook her head in annoyance.

"Just Neo being horny, nothing new." She mumbled grumpily and Blake smiled slightly.

"Kind of like you." She pointed out and Yang looked at her in shock.

"I am NOT horny-"

Blake interrupted with a snort,"You've asked Pyrrha for sex, you've asked me for sex, you slap my ass, you let Neo kiss you, you let Neptune kiss you-"

"He was drunk!" Yang protested,"That's not even fair, I didn't know he'd kiss me! I mean he's cute an all but the kiss was gross. I didn't want him to. And I didn't want Neo to kiss me either!" She scowled angrily and Blake rolled her eyes before continuing.

"You flirt with just about everyone." Yang was silent about that one, actual anger flashing through her eyes, and Blake _knew_ she shouldn't have said that. The brawler turned away from Blake, lips pulling into a thin line, but Blake couldn't find any remorse for her comment.

Blake was bitter...hell...possibly jealous about Yang's flirting. She didn't know why, just seeing Yang flirt with Pyrrha one minute then herself and then some random guy, was extremely agitating. Blake had come to terms that she felt...something for this girl. She cared deeply for her and craved to have more than just friendship with the blonde. But Yang was making that difficult by casually hitting on people.

They were supposed to bond tonight and Blake knew that she wasn't helping them prepare for it. If anything she was unintentionally pushing Yang away, she didn't want to, she was just...frustrated.

Blake sighed and put a hand on Yang's shoulder, causing her to stop moving,"Yang, I didn't mean it, I was just frustrated and I'm sorry-"

Yang shrugged off her hand before glancing at her briefly,"No, you're right, I do flirt a lot..." She paused before smiling to herself slightly,"...but don't worry Blakey. When I manage so snatch me a boyfriend or girlfriend, then I'll focus all of my charms on them." Purple eyes lightened at the mere thought of whoever Yang cared about so much. Blake felt her heart twist with an unknown feeling.

"...do you already have someone in mind?" She questioned somewhat nervously, she hated herself for feeling so much...everything. All these emotions were jumbled up and they made her head hurt, Yang made her head hurt.

Yang smirked at her,"Eh, maybe." She shrugged evasively and Blake frowned.

"Is it Pyrrha?" She couldn't help but ask, she knew Yang had feelings for the red haired warrior.

The smirk slipped from Yang's lips and she thought for a moment,"No." A bitter smile replaced the genuine one,"Seems it'll never happen. I should be realistic," She shrugged before smiling broadly at Blake,"not to mention this girl is probably better." So it's a girl...that Yang likes more than Pyrrha?

Blake held in a scowl, she couldn't compete with Pyrrha, and now some girl was better than the amazon? How?

"Well," Blake pried gently,"what's her name?" She asked and Yang smiled again, all traces of anger left her face.

"Her name is, Puns, and we'll live happily ever after. She's the only woman that truly, punderstands me!" Yang joked, dodging Blake's question much to the faunus's annoyance. But Blake brushed it off, deciding to allow Yang her privacy.

"That was awful." She groaned and Yang laughed before slinging an arm around her affectionately.

"Not as awful as you singing in the shower." She teased and Blake's eyes widened before she snarled at the girl.

"You listen in on my showering!" She always sang softly to herself, never loud enough for anyone to hear, it was easy to forget that Yang was part faunus. The blonde drew away from her, smiling sheepishly as she twiddled her thumbs and shrugged.

"Erm...well, I don't mean to listen! I just hear you sometimes and...your voice isn't half bad actually." Yang was blatantly lying and they both knew it. Blake couldn't sing for shit. The raven haired girl was fuming now, feeling as though her privacy was invaded, and feeling utterly humiliated that Yang could hear her sing. Blake sung quietly for a reason, so no one would hear her.

"Yang Xiao Long!" Blake growled, the two were now stopped in the vacant hallway,"Next time I shower, take a walk, go to the library, leave me in peace!" Blake huffed as she poked the girl's chest roughly. Yang rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Blake, it's no big deal." Yang grinned,"I sing in the shower all the time!" She stated boisterously, eyes gleaming with amusement as Blake once again blushed. She heard Yang snicker, smug jerk.

"W-Well you don't care about that stuff! I prefer to keep quiet about my business!" Blake complained, smacking a hand on her forehead, completely exasperated. Yang chuckled softly and gently pulled the girl's hand from her face. Blake was glaring at Yang as the blonde began to drag her down the hallway, their fingers intertwined. What the faunus wanted was for Yang to stop making her feel so flustered.

Yang turned to look at her as they walked,"You shouldn't be self conscious about it, Kitten. I think it's almost as cute as you!" Yang gushed as she glanced at Blake's bow and beamed brilliantly at the girl. Blake looked at her dubiously. She tried, for the millionth time, to make her blush go away. A warm feeling filled her stomach as she looked down at her feet, annoyingly flattered by her annoyingly charming partner.

"Whatever." Blake grumbled but her grip on Yang's hand tightened ever so slightly.

* * *

"...That fucking sucked." Yang breathed as she collapsed on the floor, her arms and legs sprawled out, her eyes were closed and she was attempting to calm her breathing. Blake lay next to her, eyes opened wide, mouth agape as she tried to comprehend what just happened.

Goosebumps erupted on her arms and Blake shivered. She suddenly felt freezing but she knew it was the shock of previous events.

"Our bond...you...you weren't supposed to see any of that." Blake stammered, petrified at what Yang thought of her. Their bonding had allowed them to see both of some of each other's worst memories.

Yang's had been rather awful, most of them filled with self loathing. The brawler beat herself up all the time for not being a better sister to Ruby, and Blake thought that was absurd. Blake had witnessed Yang spend more than half her life constantly searching for her mother, experience the occasional faunus bully, and try to get her father back onto his feet after their mother died. She had done a lot of work to maintain money for the household until Taiyang had fully jumped back into society. Blake cast a glance at Yang, she had seen the blonde be abandoned countless times by "friends" and other people she loved, it was heartbreaking...she had cried every time.

Yang peeked an eye open,"You uh...so you saw me and Pyrrha." Her voice was quiet, lilac eyes dimmed, and her usual smirk was replaced with a frown. Blake grimaced before nodding slowly, amber eyes looking away from Yang.

"Yeah...I'm sorry." Blake empathized, sliding closer to Yang, she hesitated before laying her head in Yang's lap,"I'm cold." She mumbled in defense as Yang chuckled. Yang sat up, fingers finding themselves in Blake's hair, and she gently pulled her bow off. She rubbed Blake's ears causing her to sigh in contentment, her previous fears dissipating as quickly as they came.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you still try with Pyrrha?" Blake asked quietly. Her ears twitched as Yang continued rubbing them softly. The warmth emanating from the girl was almost enough to make Blake purr.

Yang sighed before slowing her petting,"I...I believed I was in love with her. That's why. But it turns out, I'm not." Yang hummed, all the anguish in her voice vanished as quickly as it came. Blake shifted her head until she was staring up at the blonde.

Her curiosity peeked,"How'd you know you were no longer in love with her?"

Yang gave her a brilliant smile, eyes shining with mirth,"I know because I found the girl I'm actually in love with."

Blake froze at this, amber eyes searching for an answer in amethyst ones,"Who? Will you ever tell me?" She queried, heart thudding painfully in her chest for an unknown reason.

Yang's smile faltered but only for a split second,"I will, when I have the courage."

This elicited a small laugh from the faunus,"Yang, come on, it's only me." Blake murmured as Yang's fingers continued to run through her hair and play with her ears.

And then Yang looked at her. Really looked at her. The brawler looked at her in a way Blake had never been looked at before. It was unexplainable, perhaps it was the way Yang's eyes brightened, or how her smile broadened, it could have been how she instantly adjusted her posture, or it could be how Yang looked at her with such fondness that Blake's cheeks turned red. The look she was given sent butterflies to her stomach and made her toes curl.

"Yeah," Yang breathed,"only you." Fingers unlatched from her hair and ears and fell upon her cheeks. The warmth of her hands made Blake close her eyes momentarily, soaking it all in, soaking Yang in.

"Now," Yang continued, hands retreating back to their usual spot in Blake's hair,"are you going to continue dodging your memories? Or are we going to talk about them?" Blake stiffened, eyes snapping open, she bit her lip and she felt herself lock up. Yang continued her gentle petting, slender fingers twining with dark locks, the brawler smiled slightly in encouragement but remained quiet.

Blake looked away from her,"Depends, what have you seen?"

Yang shrugged, her gaze never wavered,"I saw your parents die," Blake flinched,"I saw...all the human deaths." Yang glanced away for a moment when she said that,"I saw a man...but I couldn't see his face and his voice was muffled. Was he that Adam Tarus guy you told me about-" Blake felt sick to her stomach, she didn't want to even think about Adam. She loathed him, he ruined everything. But that wasn't what bothered her, Yang had just seen _all_ of her. Every corrupt action, every lie, every murder, everything. Yang should hate her.

"You don't have to change the subject, Yang, you saw the genocide." Blake whispered, eyes welling with tears. Yang's eyes widened as she quickly wiped away the drops that fleeted from amber eyes.

"No, Blakey, don't cry. I'd rather you yell at me than cry." Yang smiled wryly at her partner, pulling Blake up so she sat in her lap, and she wrapped her arms comfortingly around the faunus. Blake let out a choked cry as she slung her arms around Yang's shoulders and buried her face in her neck.

"I'm sorry." Blake breathed, trying to calm herself. She could still remember every face, every scream, every cry for mercy, every whimper, every hate filled glare directed her way. The familiar ache returned to her chest. The memories she had worked so hard to suppress were easily resurfacing. Her head was pounding painfully as she squeezed her eyes shut. Inhaling deeply she tried to collect herself, but the guilt was crushing her, she was a monster.

"Stop it." Yang growled fiercely, holding Blake even closer to her,"We're bonded...I know you're hurting, Blakey." Yang's voice lowered, pulling away slightly to look at the faunus,"But, you have to understand, you can't change the past." She whispered soothingly, giving her partner a soft smile,"All you can do is keep moving forward." Wiping her tears away, Yang planted a gentle kiss on the stunned girl's forehead.

"N-No!" Blake abruptly yelled, yanking herself away from Yang,"You should hate me! I-" She didn't get to finish before Yang lunged at her, coiling her arms around the girl tightly and pulling her towards her chest again. The heat from Yang's body intensified but only in a comforting way, a way that Yang knew would calm Blake down.

"We've all done things we're not proud of...you're not that person anymore. Whoever this Adam guy is...he's the real lunatic. You're not a monster...look at you." Yang breathed, pulling away from Blake ever so slightly,"Real monsters don't question their actions, they don't feel anything for the bad they've caused. The White Fang started out with a genuinely good motive and good methods. You had no way of knowing it'd turn out this way...no one in your position would have been quick to abandon a cause they believed in so much. Many would have stayed...it takes a strong person to leave the comfort of their own livelihood." Yang soothed, wiping the rest of Blake's tears away.

Blake looked up at the blonde with wide eyes, she could practically feel her anger, but she knew it wasn't directed at her. Yang was mad about Blake's self loathing...she was mad about her situation. Yang was mad about Adam, Blake's tears, Blake's fears, and the list could go on and on. She was mad at anything and everything but Blake.

How did Blake luck out with such a great partner?

Leaning forward Blake planted a kiss on Yang's cheek before burying her face in her neck again,"Thank you." She breathed, temporarily soothed by Yang's words. In all honesty she was just happy the blonde didn't hate her.

She didn't see Yang's blush but she could feel her heart speed up slightly,"Anytime Blakey."

* * *

It's not that easy, Weiss." Yang sighed, glaring at the pink sky as the sun began to rise. The two girls stood in the courtyard, it was five in the morning, two hours earlier than they needed to be awake.

Weiss's punctual nature caused her to want to get an early start in the mornings. Yang just naturally woke up early, she enjoyed her mornings, she wasn't much of a night owl but time with Adam had changed that. Due to their early mornings, the two often went to the courtyard to converse, not wanting to wake up their partners.

"Oh, but it is." Weiss snorted, rolling her eyes,"It's so obvious she likes you-"

"She likes Sun, she took him to the dance." Yang interrupted harshly, jamming her hands in the pockets of her grey sweats. Purple eyes hardened as they met icy blue ones. Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in agitation.

"Of course you'd be this dense." Weiss huffed angrily,"Blake watched you during the entire dance." She pointed out, looking at Yang in disbelief of her obliviousness,"Remember when you blew up on everyone and stomped away at lunch? Pyrrha was going to go after her but Blake stopped her, saying she'd coddle you. Blake cares about you more than you realize. Why else would she let you sleep in her bed?" Weiss asked in exasperation, crossing her arms over her chest. Her glared had hardened, cold blue eyes clashed with warm lilac as the girls stared at each other.

"...that doesn't mean anything." Yang sighed,"Caring about me doesn't mean shit. I really like her, Weiss-"

"Then show her!" She interjected,"Stop hanging around Pyrrha and Neo so much and start paying her more attention. And then, go for it, you're a very blunt person. Now start acting like one." Weiss instructed haughtily, her glare intensified as Yang laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Pyrrha's my best friend and Neo-"

"Yang Xiao Long it is so obvious that you have some remaining feelings for Pyrrha." Weiss snapped,"You stupid brute. It's also clear Blake HATES it when Neo flirts with you. So there you go, more evidence she likes you. Now stop overthinking and go get your kitten!" Weiss raised a fist in the air,"Because the Xiao Long I know isn't afraid to ask out anyone of any gender, NOW GO!" She roared, inspiration slipped from her lips,"GET HER!"

Yang grinned, feeling more confident as she raised her fist in the air as well,"THAT BELLABOOTY IS MINE!" She cheered excitedly, making Weiss wrinkle her nose slightly. Without a second thought Yang swooped in and crushed Weiss in a hug before sprinting back off towards their dorm, leaving fire in her wake as her determination and excitement grew.

Weiss only watched as the girl tripped and fell to the ground,"I'm okay!" Yang yelped, clambering to her feet, and taking off in a fast sprint once again.

"What an idiot."

* * *

"I can't, Blake and I are hanging out tonight, kind of a partner thing. Sorry P." Yang smiled sheepishly as Pyrrha and Blake both looked at her in confusion. The redhead deflated slightly and Yang had to bite back a curse, she didn't want to make Pyrrha sad at all-oops and now she was angry.

"Whatever." Green eyes flashed with irritation as she locked her gaze with Yang,"Have fun." She muttered before stalking away, leaving a confused Blake and a slightly frightened Yang. The blonde didn't want to sever their friendship, but she needed to put in more effort with Blake. Not to mention she liked spending time with the bookworm.

"Are you avoiding her? That's the third time you've turned her down." Blake noted once the warrior was out of ear shot.

Yang turned to her with a frown,"Nah," A smirk adorned her lips,"I just like spending time with you, Blakey, is that such a crime?" She slung an arm around her shoulder and delighted in the blush that the faunus wore.

"Yang, what are you up to?" Blake asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion as Yang smiled sheepishly at her.

"Nothing, Kitten! Ruby and Weiss are doing some partner bonding tonight, so I figured, we could too." Yang said innocently, trying to get a read on Blake's emotions through their bond.

Blake shifted uncomfortably as she looked down at her shoes,"I dunno, Yang, I'm not really up for going out-"

"Then we'll stay in!" Yang interjected,"Whatever you want to do, we'll do it." She promised, a wide grin adorning her lips. Blake looked at her thoughtfully before shrugging.

"Well, apparently it's supposed to be a nice night tonight." Blake mused and Yang smirked before leaning against a locker cockily.

"Do tell, what are your plans for our evening? I was envisioning a nice picnic, maybe some wine, a little bit of action afterwards." She flirted shamelessly and Blake actually laughed at the girl's boldness.

"Hmm...sounds about as tempting as going to a party with Weiss."

Yang's jaw dropped and she looked at her incredulously,"Are you insinuating I can't show you a good time?"

Blake smirked,"No, I know you can't show me a good time. Well, at least without clubs or the promise of sex."

It was Yang's turn to smirk,"So you're saying that sex with me is a good time?" Blake's eyes widened in disbelief as she found the tables quickly turning,"How would you even know?" Yang leaned closer to her, gently placing a hand on her waist and putting her lips near her human ear,"Unless...you've had some naughty dreams about me..." She trailed off suggestively and to her utter delight she heard Blake swallow thickly and hold her breath.

Cheeks turned red,"I-I...I wasn't saying that!" She stammered as she tried to explain herself. Yang backed away, albeit reluctantly for she had loved the close proximity, and laughed loudly.

"You know I'm just playing with you! But I accept your challenge, tonight is going to be one of the best of your life!" A seductive smirk adorned Yang's lips,"And trust me, I don't have to bang you to leave you wanting more." She stepped away and sauntered off to her next class,"I'll catch you tonight Blake! Wear something casual." She could hear the pounding of Blake's heart from down the hall.

* * *

"Shit!" Yang yelped, pulling Blake closer to her and burying her face in her hair. Blake sat between Yang's open legs, she was leaning against the blonde's chest, and Yang had her arms wrapped around Blake's waist. The two were sitting on Yang's bed, watching a scary movie on her scroll.

They hadn't originally been in such an intimate position. And Blake wasn't sure how they had gotten into said position in the first place. And while being so close to Yang distracted her from the movie, she really did enjoy the warmth the girl radiated.

"You should have seen that coming, you'd think that you'd notice how the music changes already." Blake teased lightly, placing her arms atop Yang's. Yang huffed at this and pulled her face out of Blake's hair, resting her chin on the faunus's shoulder. Blake got goosebumps from her partner's proximity. Why did she drive her so crazy?

"Should I have noticed that you purr?" Yang hummed, making Blake jump and begin to pull away from her embrace. Embarrassment swept over her as Yang merely held Blake tighter to her,"Hey now, there's no reason to hide from me, I'm part faunus. Your cat traits don't surprise me. I think it's cute." A soft chuckle escaped Yang as one of her hands found Blake's hair.

Blake squeezed her eyes shut instinctively, expecting a sharp, unforgiving tug. That's all she had ever known, but she knew Yang would never do such a thing. That was the nice thing about the blonde, she encouraged Blake to embrace her heritage. She didn't feel as embarrassed about her cat traits, she didn't feel the need to look over her shoulder all time, she was more vocal about defending Velvet, she was comfortable enough to leave her bow off when she was in the dorm, and she was no longer bothered in the slightest by Yang petting her ears.

Blake soon found herself relaxing as gentle fingers rubbed her cat ears,"I know...it's just a little...embarrassing to me I guess." She sighed, leaning further into her partner's embrace, eyes closing.

Another laugh escaped Yang's lips,"Well, if it makes you feel better, when I get angry I start growling. Then people look at me like I'm crazy." Blake laughed at this.

"They're not wrong."

Yang pouted and rolled her eyes,"Hey now, some think my growling is extremely attractive." She protested and Blake hummed in amusement as Yang's blonde curtain of hair trailed over her shoulder. Absentmindedly Blake began playing with her friend's hair as she spoke.

"Oh? And who thinks your growl is attractive?" Suddenly a deep rumble erupted from Yang's throat causing Blake to jump in surprise. A low vibration resounded in Yang's chest. Blake felt goosebumps erupt on her skin at the overwhelming assertion of dominance that the growl conveyed. Her cheeks turned red when a raspy laugh sounded from behind her.

"Apparently, you think it's attractive." Yang murmured lowly and Blake scowled, cheeks still red at her friend's shenanigans.

"It just surprised me!" Blake snapped, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. Yang was so infuriating. The blonde merely chuckled again, Blake didn't even have to see her partner to know that was smirking.

"Yeah...and turned you on." Yang chuckled, lilac eyes glinting with mischief. Blake mumbled to herself angrily as she attempted to get out Yang's lap but the blonde wouldn't allow her to leave. Nuzzling her neck Yang let out a sigh,"I was kitting...Kitten." Yang hummed, Blake's face turned a bright red.

"That was terrible."

"Hmmm...I thought it was pretty good." Yang paused, blinking rapidly as though remembering what she was doing. She glanced at the time and grinned,"Alright, it's nine, time for part two of me showing you how awesome of a time I can give you!" Yang cheered, pulling the curious cat faunus to her feet.

* * *

A loud laugh escaped Yang as she pounced on Blake. The two rolled around the field, wrestling with one another, it wasn't long before Blake jumped out of Yang's grasp with a laugh of her own. The moon shown brightly over her head and the two girls were ecstatic.

Blake's ears were out of her bow, her adrenaline was pumping as she looked around with utter mirth, there was no other time she felt so free than in the cloak of darkness with only the moon as her light. Yang's fangs were on full display, her claws unsheathed as she stood to her feet and launched herself into a nearby tree.

Blake had to admit, Yang was showing her a good time. She had expected...well she expected at least a club involved or something to do with dancing. But Yang had kept it simple, she knew Blake liked simple, and Blake Belladonna was utterly impressed.

"Hey Blakey! Betcha can't catch me!" Yang challenged as she looked down at Blake with a predatory smirk. The two cats were soon chasing one another, laughing and jumping from branch to branch, Blake was uncharacteristically happy. Having a companion who shared her faunus traits, and being able to freely exhibit them without being judged, was one of the best things that had happened to her.

Blake lunged and caught Yang around her waist in midair. The two spiraled to the ground, giggling loudly as Blake landed on Yang, both falling into a bush. Their noses were touching, however this didn't stop their rambunctious laughing, Blake's head rested against Yang's collarbone as she shook with more laughter. Yang let out a puff as her glee subsided, and quickly threw Blake out of the bush. She yelled in surprise as she landed on the ground and Yang tackled Blake so she was on top, a wicked smirk played on her lips.

"You may be faster, Kitten, but I'm stronger!" Yang declared, pinning both Blake's arms above her head with one hand.

Blake smirked,"Who said I needed strength to get out of your hold?"

A snort followed,"How else are you gonna get free?" Blake's smirk broadened at the challenge. The night had always made Blake feel more lively(Ha! Blake Lively!), and also more mischievous. She never had to hide who she was and she absolutely loved the rush of running wild in the forest, doing whatever she pleased. Yang had picked a rather great activity for the two of them, she admitted silently before finally focusing on Yang again.

The night made her bold. Leaning up Blake captured Yang's lips with her own, effectively stunning the blonde. Yang's grip loosened as she remained stunned by the girl's sudden kiss, not sure whether to kiss back or pull away. Before Yang could decide Blake had freed herself from the ever weakening grasp and rolled them back over, pinning Yang.

The blonde was breathing heavily and looking at Blake in disbelief,"T-That was cheating!" She puffed, wetting her lips and squeezing her eyes shut.

Blake laughed,"How was I supposed to know you'd be so effected? I was just trying to find a way to escape!" She feigned innocence, loving the way Yang processed the kiss. Closing her eyes and biting her lip so as if to control herself.

Shaking her head wildly, Yang growled at her playfully,"Huh, should have figured you'd be so _catty._ "

Blake narrowed her eyes,"Oh shut up."

Yang smirked,"A cat didn't get your tongue but it surely got mine!" Blake blushed at this before tightening her grip on Yang's wrists.

"Yang-"

"What? These puns are the cats meOW! Shit, did you just bite me!" Yang asked in disbelief as she grimaced at the stinging sensation in her shoulder. Blake merely glared at her in response, clearly wanting her to end the cat puns.

Yang only smirked, revealing her fangs that were far larger than Blake's,"I can bite back, Kitten." Blake's eyes widened, she rarely got to see Yang's fangs. She had always been so intrigued by them that she couldn't help but reach out and touch one. Yang looked at her curiously but kept her fangs exposed, watching as Blake prodded her canines in fascination.

Amber eyes inspected them carefully, before she realized what she was doing. Jumping off Yang she yelped and watched her with wide eyes, her face aflame with embarrassment.

Yang chuckled as she scooted closer to her partner,"You kissed me but what made you shy was that you were playing with my fangs? C'mon kitty cat! Loosen up a little!" Yang all but purred, reaching up and gently stroking Blake's cat ear. Blake stiffened momentarily at the feeling of Yang unsheathing her claws, yet the girl remained gentle, and if anything the claws only better served in scratching her ears.

Her spine was tingling and she sagged against Yang,"Fuck." She mumbled, nearly purring at how good her ears felt.

"Ooh, watch that potty mouth of yours Belladonna!" Yang warned teasingly before retracting her hand. Blake sighed disappointedly as she sat up, face red from turning to jello when Yang began scratching her ears.

Before Blake could respond, Yang's scroll went off, the blonde frowned before checking it. _Gingersnap._ Blake's eyes narrowed as Yang scrambled to her feet, apologizing profusely and saying she had to take this call. Who was Gingersnap?

* * *

"Huh...it doesn't look like you're studying." The voice was cold and Yang winced.

"Hey, I'm sorry! I just didn't think you'd let me skip tonight if I told you I had partner bonding!" She confessed sheepishly, glancing at Blake as she did so,"Where are you?" She asked, looking around the clearing for her brother. But even her night vision couldn't pick her redheaded companion up amongst the dense forest trees.

"Doesn't matter, what does matter is that you lied to me."

"...I mean, I did study tonight-"

"Yang." He sighed, sounding disappointed now, it was like talking to Taiyang.

She grimaced, feeling bad for not telling the truth,"I'm sorry, Gingersnap. I just promised to hangout with Blake and-"

"Be wary of your partner, Yang." He said cryptically, slight anger coated his words.

Yang frowned as she glanced at her partner,"Why?"

"...She's got a bad habit of running away." Yang's heart stopped for a moment, remembering when Blake left her for two weeks due to fear of attachment. How did Adam know about Blake? Before she could ask he continued,"Tomorrow night, you and me, sword training. Don't be late." He said gruffly, clearly still mad about Yang's lie.

She winced,"Love you?"

There was another heavy sigh,"Whatever, idiot." Yang smiled at little at this.

"Bitch."

"Bigger bitch."

Yang laughed at this,"I learned it from you."

"Hmph...shut up. Now finish up your partner bonding so you can get some rest. Love you."

"Love you too!" Yang said merrily, beaming brightly as she turned back to Blake. Yang's smile drooped slightly at the sight of Blake, that smile was gone and replaced with a slight look of hurt. Yang paused and could feel the inner turmoil of Blake's emotions, from annoyed to sad to jealous, but why did she feel that way?

"Are you ever going to tell me where you go at night? Who you're with? What you do?" Blake asked scathingly, eyes narrowing slightly as she stood to her feet. Yang's eyes widened momentarily before she realized that Blake's faunus traits were dominating her at the moment. When faunus were in their animal side's environment then they tended to act more like the personality type of their animal. That's why Blake was lashing out at her, cats were extremely territorial, and Blake's cat side had decided that Yang was hers.

Lions could be the same as cats in the possessive sense, but they were more prideful and family oriented due to living in prides. When Yang's lion side came out it made her more protective, brash, egotistical, and demanding. But it also made her more nurturing to those she cared about.

Yang turned her attention back to Blake before gently placing a hand on her shoulder,"Blakey-"

Slapping her hand away, Blake gripped her by the front of her shirt, ears flicking in irritation (Or earritation as Yang would say),"Don't, Blakey, me. You're **my** partner! And every time you come back to the dorm from your night out, you're covered in wounds and you have someone's scent all over you. I **hate** that." Blake hissed, eyes darkening slightly as she watched Yang closely,"I don't like seeing you hurt and I don't like that someone else's stench is covering yours, so tell me, where are you going?"

Fun fact, when anyone talked to Yang in this manner, she couldn't help but let out some of the lion in her. It caused many complications later, but Yang was dominant and Blake needed to know that. She wouldn't be run around by some house cat. Yang bit her lip as her pride and egotistical nature overwhelmed her.

"And why does it matter where I go? Last I checked, you're not the boss of me." She growled, looming over her partner, glowering at her so as to get her to submit.

Blake didn't back down but instead bared her teeth,"I don't like sharing." Yang was almost surprised at her words, but her lion had already taken the reigns of her emotions.

Yang exposed her fangs and growled as a claw hand loosely grasped the back of Blake's neck,"Let's get one thing straight, cat." Yang sneered, her eyes turning a dark crimson as she glanced at Blake's ears,"I will go where I please, I'm not hurting anyone, and you can't control me."

Blake hissed at this and met Yang's glare with her own,"You're hurting yourself...you're hurting me!" She finally snarled, shoving Yang away from her roughly. Yang stumbled back in surprise before another growl escaped her.

"I'm just seeing an old friend of mine, why does that bother you?"

"Would you like it if I came back to the dorm, smelling of someone else nearly every night?" Blake challenged and Yang growled again at the thought before taking a step towards her.

"That's impossible." Yang grunted, once again placing her hand on the back of the faunus's neck.

"Oh?"

Yang nodded before bearing her teeth once again,"You're mine." A thick silence followed the brawler's statement. Both girls seemed to break out of their more animalistic state. Realizing how close Blake was to her made Yang's eyes dilate, however, the spell had been broken. Amber eyes hardened slightly as an annoyed look rested upon her usually stoic face.

Surprisingly, Blake didn't move from Yang's light grip on the back of her neck,"Possessive, aren't you."

The blonde snorted,"You're one to talk." Reluctantly she stepped away from her partner, sheathing her claws, and letting out a shaky breath as she tried to clamp down on her hormones. She just wanted to grab Blake and kiss her, her lion side demanded it, but her human side was back in control and forbidding her from being so brash.

Blake timidly reached out to touch the blonde's arm only for Yang to take a step away,"Give me a sec, Blake," Yang growled, squeezing her eyes shut so she could control herself,"I need to just...calm down."

"Did I make you mad?"

Yang's eyes remained closed and she shook her head,"Course not I...I just don't want to do something stupid."

"What if I want you to do something stupid?" Blake challenged, making Yang stiffen. Crimson colored eyes fluttered open and Blake shivered at the intensity of her stare. The blonde's hands balled into fists; she released a shuttered breath before her eyes converted back to their normal purple color.

The corners of her lips quirked upwards as the tension melted from her shoulders,"Oh, I get it! You're just fucking with me." Yang chuckled,"I mean, not in the way I'd prefer, but you just wanted to rial me up." Yang jammed her hands into her pockets as she looked away from her partner,"We both know you have a thing for Sun anyway so..." She trailed off, casting a quick glance at Blake. The faunus felt her eye twitch, was Yang really that dense? She didn't notice Yang's slight smirk as she rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"You really think I like Sun?"

"You tell me."

"I'm not all that into monkeys."

"Then what are you into?"

The smallest of smirks adorned Blake's lips,"Lions."


End file.
